03.15.23 -- Emerging Applications For Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Technologies

LNPs are crucial to the successful delivery of mRNA vaccines and other RNA and nucleic acid therapeutics. An effective partner must possess the necessary unique analytical capabilities for LNP characterization and the ability to support clients from concept to commercialization.

The potential of lipid nanoparticle-based drug delivery technologies was made clear with the pandemic. Beyond the use of liposomes for small molecule drugs to target systemic diseases and LNPs for vaccines, what other applications are now being explored for such delivery technologies?

LNPs are now increasingly recognized as a preferred formulation technology for specialized parenteral drug products. In addition to being safe and efficacious, they are also simple to customize and efficient to manufacture to help accelerate clinical timelines and reduce project cost.

Those who think that liposomes and LNPs are interchangeable terms for the same drug delivery technology would be wrong. Key differences exist not only in their target applications, but their actual morphology, composition, and manufacturing process.

Developing a delayed release formulation of acid sensitive actives that can be used in a solid dosage form such as tablets, pellets, or capsules can be costly. Using a ready-to-fill functional capsule can save costs, reduce time to market, and boost performance of oral drug delivery products.

The potential of mRNA for preventing and treating a whole range of diseases reaches further to infectious diseases, cancer immunotherapy, therapeutics for protein replacement, and gene therapy. Examine how mRNA technologies open the doors to a whole range of new gene therapies and the role of LNPs in current and future developments.