A clever new technique from the Cullis Lab is allowing researchers to better understand how our bodies interact with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) by making them magnetic.
LNPs are a powerful tool for the delivery of drugs and the application of gene therapies. As Francia, Zhang and colleagues explain in their 2024 PNAS publication, biomolecules in the body interact with LNPs and form a layer surrounding them called the biomolecular corona (BMC).
An important step in the LNP development pipeline is understanding and characterizing the biomolecules they interact with when administered in vivo. However, due to a lack of methods for isolating LNP-corona complexes, BMC characterization has proven difficult – until now.
Through the development of LNPs containing iron oxide nanoparticles, Francia, Zhang and colleagues could then utilize magnetic separation to successfully isolate LNPs and their associated BMCs. Electron micrographs from HRMEM showcase the LNP formulations containing iron oxide nanoparticles.
This novel technique facilitated the exploration of the BMC, and broadened our understanding of how the body interacts with LNPs. Researchers looking to embrace to power of LNP technology will certainly see this as a ‘magnetic’ discovery!