Targeted delivery of TGF-β mRNA to murine lung parenchyma using one-component ionizable amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56448-y?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ZmpJMB2sohpOu6PQ61jflMAo2caMUg5stkmd4pYlwP-j8dqVODNi1QGm4q-jFn2Hs0-cmI20_k6WBhUXTwLmsOhN-wg&_hsmi=348565801&utm_content=348565801&utm_source=hs_email Can treatments for lung conditions go deeper? Between common chronic conditions like COPD and asthma, and acute harm inflicted by viruses, lung damage is a big problem. Many treatments focus on the upper airways. But to go deeper, researchers are studying the pair found in some Covid vaccines: mRNA + a lipid nanoparticle. New research in mice, published Friday in Nature Communications, posits that a similar technology could be used to stimulate healing in parts of the lung not easily reached by conventional therapies. The team reports a nanoparticle, called ionizable amphiphilic Janus dendrimer, targets mRNA therapy directly to the lung and promotes tissue repair. “If introduced early in the inflammatory process,” this mechanism could speed up healing, “ultimately reducing the incidence of complex lung injury and disease,” write the authors (several of whom are named on patents and patent applications related to the research). — Isabella Cueto