Particle Works Is Optimizing mRNA-LNP Formulation

Particle Works is making major contributions to the field of nanomedicine by producing game-changing automated microfluidic systems with the potential to improve efficiency in the nanotherapeutic drug development pipeline. These walk-away platforms can help to optimize each stage of the nanoparticle formulation development process, empowering researchers in pursuit of particle perfection.

Nanomedicine – the convergence of nanotechnology and healthcare – offers the prospect of new tools for healthcare, and one example is the recent successful development of vaccines based on mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that can effectively deliver nucleic acid-based therapeutics to in vivo target sites. The success of these and future LNPs lies in in effective formulation development and process scale-up. Industry efforts – from screening through to manufacturing – are therefore focused on improving nanoparticle delivery, targeting and performance.

Microfluidics technologies offers a clear pathway to ensure the precise convergence of lipids and mRNA to produce nanoparticles of consistent size and structure, generating uniform and monodisperse particles to enhance drug delivery and prevent premature degradation of the payload, as well as avoiding off-target effects. Particle Works offers a range of automated microfluidic systems that ensure robust laboratory processes and easy control of microfluidic parameters. Automated LNP formulation enables rapid and precise parameter changes between experiments within a single run, significantly reducing cost and labor requirements. In addition, using the same microfluidic pumps, fluoropolymer tubing and reusable glass microfluidic chips between experiments eliminates the need to validate new process technologies at each stage of development, offering seamless scale-up.

Lee Jeffries, Managing Director at Particle Works, commented: “Particle Works has used expertise gained over 20 years of microfluidics engineering to develop novel automated systems in response to customer demand for flexibility, accurate control and consistent day-to-day performance. A robust process is the key to improving the efficiency and potency of novel genomic medicines using LNPs, and our ground-breaking platforms have the potential to significantly accelerate their development, ultimately providing significant clinical benefits for many life-threatening diseases.”