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
Recommended Citation
Beck, Nichole S., "Investigation of Formulation, Stability Limits, and Characterization of Lipid Nanoparticles for mRNA Vaccines." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/biomedical_theses/12