Targeted delivery of TGF-β mRNA to murine lung parenchyma using one-component ionizable amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers
J. Meshanni, Emily Stevenson, Dapeng Zhang, Rachel Sun, Nathan Ona, Erin K. Reagan, Elena Abramova, Changjiang Guo, Melissa L. Wilkinson, Ishana Baboo, Yuzi Yang, Liuyan Pan, Devendra S. Maurya, Virgil Percec, Yongsheng Li, Andrew J. Gow, Drew Weissman, Elena N. Atochina‐Vasserman
Abstract
Current clinical strategies for the delivery of pulmonary therapeutics to the lung are primarily targeted to the upper portions of the airways, such as treatment with nebulized instillation and inhalation. However, targeted delivery to the lower regions of the lung is necessary for the treatment of parenchymal lung injury and disease. Here, we show the development of an mRNA therapeutic for the lower lung in mice using one-component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers as a delivery vehicle. We deliver an anti-inflammatory cytokine mRNA, transforming growth factor-beta, to produce transient protein expression in the lower regions of the lung. This study highlights a method for precise, effective, and safe delivery of TGF-β mRNA to the lung in mice. This delivery system offers a promising approach for targeting therapeutics to the specific tissues, a strategy necessary to fill the current clinical gap in treating parenchymal lung injury and disease. Targeted delivery to the lower regions of the lung is necessary for the treatment of parenchymal lung injury and disease but is challenging. Here, the authors develop an mRNA delivery platform to treat acute lung injury in mice and demonstrate that it can reach the lower regions of the lung.