A new article published in ACS Applied Biomaterials shares promising research from PhD students Aida López Espinar and Lianne Mulder, guided by Professor Piotr Kowalski at the University College of Cork. The work explores how small changes in polymer structure can make a big difference in delivering mRNA therapies—especially to tissues outside the liver.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which carry mRNA in treatments like COVID-19 vaccines, typically rely on ionizable lipids to do their job. But this research shifts the focus to polymers—specifically, ionizable amino-polyesters (APEs). The team investigated how the chemical makeup of these APEs, particularly their alkyl side chains, affects the way nanoparticles behave and where they deliver mRNA in the body.

Their findings show that tweaking these side chains can significantly influence delivery performance. Notably, some low molecular weight APEs performed well enough to suggest they could even replace traditional ionizable lipids in certain applications.

This could pave the way for safer, more precise mRNA delivery systems—an important step for expanding the use of mRNA technology in treating a wider range of diseases beyond the liver.

Read the full open-access article here: ACS Applied Biomaterials