Nature communicationsJul 8, 2026

Lung-delivered mRNA nanoparticle vaccines for fast and lasting protection against bacterial infections

mRNA Technology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jul 9, 2026

Abstract

A pulmonary mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine shows rapid and durable protection against bacterial lung infections in female mice.

The vaccine elicits a quick immune response by activating lung neutrophils and macrophages within 1-7 days post-vaccination.
Enhanced phagocytic activity of immune cells leads to rapid clearance of bacteria independent of specific antigens during the early post-vaccination period.
Subsequent antigen-specific adaptive immune responses provide sustained protection against drug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Single-cell transcriptomics indicates coordinated activation of both innate and adaptive immune systems.
This approach integrates immediate and long-term immunity, suggesting a new strategy for effective vaccination against respiratory infections.

Simplified

Pulmonary bacterial infections remain a major clinical challenge. Although vaccination reduces infection rates and mortality, the vulnerable post-vaccination immunity gap can still result in infection and vaccine failure. In addition, effective vaccines are unavailable for many clinically important bacterial pathogens. Here, we report a pulmonary mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP) vaccine incorporating an ionizable lipid engineered for localized high-level expression, which elicits both rapid and durable protection against bacterial lung infections in female mice, effectively bridging this critical window of vulnerability. Intratracheal delivery of mRNA-LNP rapidly primes lung neutrophils and macrophages into a transcriptionally pre-activated state, enhancing their phagocytic activity and enabling rapid, antigen-independent bacterial clearance during the early post-vaccination period (approximately 1-7 days). Subsequently, vaccination induces potent antigen-specific adaptive responses, conferring sustained protection against both laboratory and clinical drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Single-cell transcriptomics and immune profiling reveal coordinated activation of innate and adaptive immune programs. This dual-phase immune response exemplifies a paradigm-shifting vaccine design that integrates innate and adaptive immunity to confer both immediate and long-term protection. Our findings establish a mechanistic basis for rapid antibacterial defense and highlight pulmonary mRNA-LNP vaccination as a promising strategy for combating respiratory infections.