Glow up with encapsulation efficiency (EE%) on Stunner AF

The Problem 

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are all the rage as delivery vehicles for the next generation of mRNA-based gene therapies, antisense oligos and the raw materials for CRISPR. Testing LNP encapsulation efficiency (EE%) is fundamental for knowing if your LNPs are successfully surrounding your payload after production. Traditional EE% assays are a huge hassle for researchers with complex experimental designs that require tons of pipetting steps, poor reproducibility, low sample throughput, and messy toxic surfactants. Not to mention all that headache only produces a single piece of data: EE%. Tools that level up the EE% assay to make it simpler, faster, safer and deliver more than one datapoint per experiment are needed to push nanoparticle development faster and further.

The Solution

Stunner Add Fluorescence (Stunner AF) revolutionizes the EE% assay by measuring free RNA concentrations by fluorescence and total RNA by UV/Vis while simultaneously capturing sizing, PDI and particle concentration data – all in about two hours and all in a 96 well plate-based format. The assay makes EE% characterization more efficient by simplifying assay setup and eliminating the need for nasty surfactant and only consumes 2 μL of sample per well. If you’re hunting for the optimal formulation, Stunner AF handles up to 44 samples on one plate along with standards to deliver EE%, size, aggregation and particle concentration data in a single assay.

The Proof 

We will showcase how Stunner AF’s side-by-side fluorescence and UV/Vis capabilities make light work of the EE% assay. A variety of well-known lipid formulations and payloads will be used to highlight how Stunner AF handles EE% with no sweat. Along with EE%, we will also track size, particle concentration and monitor aggregation with these different samples. LNP characterization is ready for a glow up with Stunner AF.
 

Presenter: Kevin Lance, PhD (Director of Product Management, Unchained Labs)

Kevin Lance is the Director of Product Management at Unchained Labs. His expertise covers biophysical characterization of proteins, nucleic acids, viral vectors, and LNPs. Prior to Unchained Labs, his research experience covered the fields of sustained antibody delivery and nanotechnology. He earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the joint UC Berkeley – UCSF Bioengineering Graduate Program.