Overview
- University of Copenhagen researchers presented conference data showing that amorphous, internally disorganized lipid nanoparticles deliver cargo inside cells more efficiently than highly organized particles.
- A high-throughput single-particle method analyzed about a million nanoparticles individually, measuring each particle’s size and cargo rather than relying on batch averages.
- The assay revealed two subpopulations—organized and amorphous—with the disorganized particles correlating with greater intracellular release.
- Researchers propose that tightly organized particles keep positively charged lipids bound to negatively charged RNA, whereas disordered structures allow charge separation that promotes disassembly and release inside cells.
- With only about 1–5% of LNP cargo typically released in cells, the team suggests prioritizing formulations that maintain internal disorder and notes the tool can screen candidates, though findings are preliminary and were presented at the Biophysical Society’s 70th Annual Meeting.