Date of Award
12-18-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (MIS)
Department
Biomedical Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Lanying Du
Second Advisor
Dr. Baozhong Wang
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) represent a significant advancement in mRNA delivery, especially regarding the recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The use of LNPs in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines allows for the particles to have a larger carrying capacity, meaning an easier and safer delivery of nucleic acids with little to no cytotoxicity. While most LNPs target hepatocytes, their specific formulation allows for a more tunable delivery system, as well as increased stability, distribution, and bioavailability. This study investigates various lipid combinations for the purpose of mRNA-LNPs that show high protein expression in vitro and are cost-effective. These formulations were tested in two different human cell lines to assess the expression of mRNA-encoded luciferase protein. The findings indicate that an optimized lipid formulation utilizing a cationic lipid does potentiate strong protein expression in both cell lines tested, meaning that this formulation may have potential to be optimized even further for vaccination use
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/38008195
Recommended Citation
Beck, Nichole S., "Investigation of Formulation, Stability Limits, and Characterization of Lipid Nanoparticles for mRNA Vaccines." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/38008195