Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41617719›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Engineered internal architecture of core-shell lipid nanoparticles promotes efficient mRNA endosomal release.

Tianyao Li, Jingxin Zhang, Jing Guo, Bohong Sun, Yuxuan Han, Hu Xu, Yi Weng, Qinghao Cao, Min Li, Guangyu Zhao and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Targeted delivery platforms forFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Tianyao Li *CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9176-7287
Jingxin Zhang *CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
Jing Guo *BiosynRNA Biotechnology, Beijing, China.
Bohong SunUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China.
Yuxuan HanCAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Hu XuCAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
Yi WengCAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
Qinghao CaoCAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
Min LiNational Key Loaboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Guangyu ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Lin LiuSchool of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Xingfa GaoUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1636-6336
Lianpan DaiCAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8352-1327
Daming WangBiosynRNA Biotechnology, Beijing, China.
Yuhong CaoCAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China. caoyh@nanoctr.cn.ORCID 0000-0001-8065-4634

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics rely on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for delivery, yet inefficient endosomal escape remains a major bottleneck, with only a small fraction of internalized cargo reaching the cytoplasm. Conventional LNPs encapsulate mRNA in amorphous lipid cores, where partial charge neutralization and lack of structural order limit protonation-driven membrane disruption. Here, we present an architectural strategy that engineers LNP internal structure using ionizable lipid-coated gold nanoparticles (IC-AuNPs) as rigid, pH-responsive cores. The Au cores template the formation of radially ordered core-shell architectures that stabilize particles at physiological pH while amplifying charge segregation and curvature stress under acidic endosomal conditions. As a result, Au-LNPs achieve a twofold increase in endosomal escape and ~100-fold greater cytoplasmic mRNA diffusion compared to conventional LNPs. Functionally, Au-LNPs enhance mRNA expression in vitro, increases in vivo protein production up to sevenfold, boost antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and improve therapeutic efficacy in a triple-negative breast cancer model.

Indexed as

EndosomesLipidsMetal NanoparticlesNanoparticlesRNA, MessengerAnimalsCell Line, TumorCOVID-19 VaccinesGoldHumansHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationLiposomesMiceSARS-CoV-2Triple Negative Breast NeoplasmsCOVID-19 VaccinesGoldLipid NanoparticlesLipidsLiposomesRNA, Messenger

Identifiers

PMID41617719
PMCPMC12960928

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.