Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicineMar 27, 2026

A practical method to deliver gene-editing nanoparticles backward through pancreatic ducts

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

Retrograde intraductal injection (RIDI) of Cre mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles transfected approximately 47% of acinar cells in the pancreas.

RIDI is a clinically relevant endoscopic technique that allows direct delivery of substances into pancreatic tissue.
The transfection achieved with RIDI led to robust recombination in the acinar cells.
Gene editing rates of approximately 20-30% and base editing rates of 5% were observed in mouse models using this method.
These findings suggest that RIDI may facilitate pancreas-targeted delivery of lipid nanoparticles for gene therapy applications.

Simplified

Gene therapy offers potential curative strategies for many pancreatic diseases, including diabetes and inherited pancreatitis. However, their clinical translation has been hindered by the lack of an effective delivery platform. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are established as a leading non-viral delivery system for nucleic acids; however, their tropism is limited to the liver following systemic administration. In this study, we evaluated retrograde intraductal injection (RIDI), a clinically relevant and routinely performed endoscopic technique, as a direct delivery route for LNPs into pancreatic tissue. RIDI of Cre mRNA-loaded LNPs resulted in the transfection of approximately 47% of acinar cells, leading to robust recombination. Extending this approach to gene editing, we observed ~20-30% of gene editing and 5% base editing in mouse models. Collectively, these findings establish RIDI as a viable strategy for pancreas-targeted LNP administration, highlighting its potential to enable gene therapy and gene editing in pancreatic diseases.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest G.S. is a co-founder of EnterX Bio and has an advisory role to Rare Air Inc., Serina Tx and Mana Bio. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

PubMed

A practical method to deliver gene-editing nanoparticles backward through pancreatic ducts

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 crispr gene editing brief