The 145th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Fukuoka)

Organizer: Yasuo Yoshioka (BIKEN), Jun Kunisawa (NIBIOHN)

mRNA vaccines have established themselves as a new modality, and the development of mRNA drugs for cancer and chronic diseases has accelerated. However, many challenges remain, particularly the improvement and development of new mRNA delivery carriers, which are eagerly awaited. For example, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been widely used as mRNA delivery carriers, but their efficacy and safety need to be improved, as adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines are caused by LNPs. Furthermore, since mRNA drugs can be administered not only intramuscularly but also intravenously and transpulmonarily, it will be necessary to select and optimally design delivery vehicles that account for the route of administration. Additionally, the development of carriers other than LNPs is currently underway, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary research. In this symposium, we would like to summarize the current status and new developments of mRNA delivery systems.