Antigen‐specific mRNA lipid nanoparticle platforms for the prevention and treatment of allergy and autoimmune diseases

Abstract

While most nanomedicines primarily aim to stimulate the immune system against infections or tumors, there is a growing demand for inducing immune tolerance under certain conditions, such as allergic and autoimmune diseases. Researchers have explored nanotechnology‐based strategies to induce immune tolerance in a targeted and specific manner. One approach involves the use of nanoparticles (NPs) to encapsulate immunosuppressive drugs and/or antigens to educate naïve T cells and promote the generation of antigen‐specific regulatory T cells that inhibit immune responses. However, this approach has certain limitations. The hydrophobicity of proteins or peptides restricts the degree to which they can be encapsulated in NPs, which in turn, affects their loading efficiency and treatment efficacy. With the emergence of mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platforms, there is the possibility of overcoming the limitations of protein and peptide encapsulation. To date, mRNA LNP systems have been shown to provide organ, cellular, and subcellular targeting for the induction of immune tolerance. This method of drug delivery is flexible and scalable that can be customized for a specific patient, resulting in an effective means of administering relevant proteins or epitopes to induce antigen‐specific immune tolerance. With continued research and development, this technology could offer a safer and more effective alternative to current therapies, ultimately improving the quality of life of patients worldwide.

Biomaterials Functionalized with Inflammasome Inhibitors—Premises and Perspectives

“…Therefore, the current research in the field of nanotechnology aims at increasing therapeutic efficiency and reducing the risk of side effects. In addition, efforts are made to optimize the biological properties of matrices designed for loading the active substances, in order to ensure the most targeted therapeutic effects [187].…”

Liver-Targeting Nanoplatforms for the Induction of Immune Tolerance

“…Future directions include integrating pharmaceuticals and expanding on NP composition materials beyond the commonly used polymer- and/or lipid-based materials into other combinatorial formulations, such as the emerging individually designed mRNA-encapsulated lipid nanoparticles [ 188 ]. The mRNA LNP platform is notably flexible, rapid in development, and cost-efficient [ 15 ]. It can facilitate the customization of antigen or epitope designs tailored to individual patients [ 121 , 188 ].…”

“…Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising approach for the induction of immune tolerance with their unique physicochemical properties and specific targeting abilities [ 13 , 14 ]. Innovative approaches in nanoparticle designs have led to the construction of new formulations of nanoplatforms that can mediate tolerogenic responses and target specific immunomodulatory cells [ 15 ]. By taking advantage of the liver’s tolerogenic mechanisms, the antigen-specificity that NPs can offer, and the NPs’ functional versatility, liver-targeting NPs can provide focused and effective immunosuppression.…”

Rational Design of Lipid-Based Vectors for Advanced Therapeutic Vaccines

“…These findings highlight the potential of LNP platforms for modifying T cells to exhibit immunosuppressive properties, offering prospects for the development of therapies targeting autoimmune conditions. Most recently, Xia et al reviewed antigen-specific mRNA LNP platforms for the prevention and treatment of allergy and autoimmune diseases [ 41 ].…”