Abdulraouf Abbas
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2025-11-18
Time: 12pm
Location / Meeting Link: HSRB1 W106 Auditorium / https://emory.zoom.us/j/95705046696

Committee Members:
James Dahlman, PhD (Advisor) ; Hyejin Kim, PhD ; Alex Abramson, PhD ; Khalid Salaita, PhD ; Yonggang Ke, PhD


Title: Gastrointestinal and Subcutaneous Administration of Lipid Nanoparticles for RNA Delivery.

Abstract:
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that deliver therapeutic RNA have been FDA-approved for liver diseases (e.g. ONPATTRO) and COVID-19 vaccines (e.g. SPIKEVAX), with many more in clinical trials for a variety of diseases. Currently, much effort in LNP development for new diseases focuses on developing and evaluating new lipids, chemical modifications, as well as payload optimization. Recently, devices have been developed for easier administration of therapeutics along the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, subcutaneous pen injectors have become common to use at home for a variety of peptides and biologics, improving patient compliance and convenience. Despite these desirable routes of administration, RNA delivery via LNPs has not been evaluated for these. Here, I investigate the delivery profile of RNA across the gastrointestinal tract via LNPs to 10+ tissues across 5 routes along the GI tract, further optimizing for pancreas targeting. I also investigate subcutaneous mRNA LNP delivery in clinically relevant models.