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Penn pioneers a ‘one-pot platform’ to promptly produce mRNA delivery particles

New lipid platform enables rapid synthesis of molecules that can shuttle therapeutics for a range of diseases with a high degree of organ specificity.
3D illustration showing cross-section of the lipid nanoparticle carrying mRNA of the virus entering a human cell.
Lipid nanoparticles present one of the most advanced drug delivery platforms to shuttle promising therapeutics such as mRNA but are limited by the time it takes to synthesize cationic lipids, a key component. Now, Michael Mitchell and his team at the School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a faster way to make cationic lipids that are also more versatile, able to carry different kinds of treatments to target specific organs.
(Image: iStock / Dr_Microbe)

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