A breathable lipid nanoparticle helps immune cells deliver mRNA to lung tumors

Inhalation of the p53 mRNA/lipid liquid nanoparticle complex (LLX) resulted in sustained tumor regression in a lung cancer model.

• The inhalable LLX effectively delivered p53 mRNA from tumor-associated macrophages to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.
• LLX enhanced the production of extracellular vesicles (EVs) by tumor-associated macrophages.
• Administration of LLX induced p53-mediated cell death in NSCLC cells.
• The treatment altered the tumor microenvironment by changing the phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages.
• LLX may alleviate T cell exhaustion, which is often a barrier to effective immunotherapy in solid tumors.

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