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Lipid nanoparticles engineered to target therapeutic RNA to the pancreas
- NEWS AND VIEWS
- 25 February 2026
Lipid nanoparticles engineered to target therapeutic RNA to the pancreas
A two-pronged strategy directs drug-delivering nanoparticles to the pancreas — and shows promise in animal models of serious pancreatic diseases.
Aviad Elisha0 &
Dan Peer1
Aviad Elisha
Aviad Elisha is at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, and in the Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University.
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Dan Peer
Dan Peer is at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, and in the Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University.
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The clinical use of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for drug delivery is currently limited by their tendency to accumulate in the liver. Tuning their biodistribution to reach other tissues and to target specific cell types in an organ remains a major challenge1,2. Writing in Nature, Lei et al.3 report their approach for engineering LNPs that specifically deliver therapeutic RNA to the pancreas — successfully targeting cell populations that were previously beyond the reach of LNPs, and unlocking avenues of research towards therapies that combat currently incurable pancreatic diseases.
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00294-5
References
Peer, D. et al. Nature Nanotechnol. 2, 751–760 (2007).
Kon, E., Ad-El, N., Hazan-Halevy, I., Stotsky-Oterin, L. & Peer, D. Nature Rev. Clin. Oncol. 20, 739–754 (2023).
Lei, J. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10158-7 (2026).
Wang, X. et al. Nature Protoc. 18, 265–291 (2023).
Chan, W. C. W. BME Front. 4, 0016 (2023).
Hamilton, A. G. et al. ACS Nano. 18, 16151–16165 (2024).
Rampado, R. et al. Adv. Sci. 12, e2408744 (2025).
Tarab-Ravski, D. et al. J. Control Release 376, 286–302 (2024).
Lam, K. et al. Adv. Mater. 35, e2211420 (2023).
Competing Interests
D. P. receives unrelated licensing fees (to patents on which he was an inventor) from, has invested in, consults for (or is on scientific advisory boards or boards of directors for), has lectured for (and received a fee) and conducts sponsored research at Tel Aviv University for: ART Biosciences; BioNtech SE; Earli Inc.; Kernal Biologics; LAND Therapeutics; Merck KGaA; Newphase Ltd.; NeoVac Ltd.; RiboX Therapeutics; Roche; SirTLabs Corporation; Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Read the paper: Pancreatic-targeted lipid nanoparticles based on organ capsule filtration
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Subjects
Medical research
Nanoparticles
Nanoscience and technology
Biomaterials
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