International journal of pharmaceuticsNov 26, 2025

mRNA Medicines Delivered by Tiny Fat Particles to Fight Infectious Diseases

mRNA Technology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 7, 2026

Abstract

Lipid nanoparticles delivering mRNA vaccines achieved exceptional safety and efficacy in the fight against infectious diseases.

mRNA vaccines delivered via lipid nanoparticles were developed and deployed globally within a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These vaccines demonstrated significant scalability and safety, which has led to increased interest in using this platform for other infectious diseases.
Progress in LNP-mRNA therapeutics is being made for viruses such as Herpes Simplex Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Zika virus, Rabies virus, and SARS-CoV-2.
Key strategies to improve mRNA stability and intracellular delivery involve advances in lipid nanoparticle formulation and mRNA sequence engineering.
Challenges remain in optimizing lipid nanoparticle composition, ensuring biocompatibility, understanding immune interactions, and addressing clinical development hurdles.

Simplified

Infectious diseases remain one of the most pressing global health challenges, despite decades of therapeutic research. Many existing treatments are constrained by limited efficacy, adverse effects, and reduced adaptability to rapidly evolving pathogens. The COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point in vaccine development, leading to the swift creation of mRNA vaccines delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNP-mRNA). Developed within a year and deployed globally, these vaccines demonstrated exceptional safety, efficacy, and scalability. Their success has driven significant interest in LNP-mRNA platforms for a broader range of infectious diseases. This manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of recent progress in LNP-mRNA therapeutics targeting Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Zika virus, Rabies virus, and SARS-CoV-2. Key strategies to enhance mRNA stability, improve intracellular delivery, and enable controlled or targeted release are discussed. Advances in lipid nanoparticle formulation and mRNA sequence engineering are also examined, with emphasis on cell-specific and tissue-specific targeting. The manuscript further outlines current translational challenges, including optimization of LNP composition, biocompatibility, immune system interactions, and clinical development hurdles, supported by recent preclinical and clinical findings. Collectively, the findings discussed highlight the transformative potential of LNP-mRNA therapeutics for development of next-generation, personalized treatments for infectious diseases.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

PubMed

mRNA Medicines Delivered by Tiny Fat Particles to Fight Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the mrna technology brief

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the mrna technology brief