Peptide-Lipid Conjugates for Enhancing mRNA-LNP Delivery and Colon Cancer Vaccines

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

2:04 PM - 2:29 PM EDT

Location: 120 B/C

Introduction: Efficient delivery of mRNA therapeutics remains a key challenge in advancing cancer immunotherapy. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are widely used for mRNA delivery, but improvements in cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and cell-specific targeting are needed [1]. Here, we incorporated calreticulin (CRT)-derived peptides into LNPs to enhance mRNA delivery as the "eat me" signal. These peptide-LNPs improved delivery efficiency by 5 to 20-fold across multiple cell types and demonstrated robust immune activation in a murine colon cancer vaccine model.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, participants will know

Upon completion, participants will be able to gain insights into peptide-functionalized LNPs
Upon completion, participants will be able to gain insights into cell-based mRNA delivery screening.
Upon completion, participants will be able to gain insights into mRNA colon cancer vaccines.

Pu-Sheng Wei – Postdoc, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binghamton University-SUNY; Zitao Ma – PhD Student, Binghamton University-SUNY; Reena Jatyan – Postdoc, Binghamton University-SUNY

Invited Speaker - Exceptional Abstract(s)

Kuo-Ching Mei, PhD

Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmaceutics
Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States