Recent advances in LNP-mRNA vaccines

Benjamin J Redenti; Yichen Zhong; Changyue Yu; Yizhou Dong

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.115675

Recent advances in LNP-mRNA vaccines

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2026 Apr 2:265:115675. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.115675. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Benjamin J Redenti¹, Yichen Zhong², Changyue Yu², Yizhou Dong³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
² Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn Genomics Institute, Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
³ Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn Genomics Institute, Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA. Electronic address: yizhou.dong@mssm.edu.

PMID: 41962202
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.115675

Abstract

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have revolutionized immunotherapy by coupling modular mRNA engineering with advances in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). LNPs, generally composed of ionizable lipid, phospholipid, cholesterol, and PEGylated lipid, have emerged as the leading vehicles for stabilizing mRNA and enhancing its cellular delivery. Concurrent innovations in mRNA chemistry and structure, such as nucleoside modification and untranslated region optimization, have improved translation efficiency, fidelity, and control of innate immune sensing. These synergistic advances underpinned the success of COVID-19 vaccines and have since propelled the rapid expansion of LNP-mRNA platforms across infectious and oncologic diseases. Preclinical and clinical studies now demonstrate potent and durable immune responses elicited by LNP-mRNA vaccines against diverse viral, bacterial, and cancer targets. Together, these findings illustrate how rational integration of biomaterial design with mRNA engineering defines the next generation of programmable immunotherapies. Continued refinement of both particle composition and mRNA architecture is poised to broaden the reach of mRNA nanomedicines across preventive and therapeutic domains.

Keywords: Biomaterials; Immunotherapy; Lipid Nanoparticle; Nucleic Acid Delivery; Vaccine; mRNA.

Publication types

Review