Boosting mRNA

By tweaking the structure of the lipid nanoparticles that deliver mRNA, Michael Mitchell of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues were able to reduce the inflammation and boost the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines that prevent or treat diseases such as COVID-19 and cancer. “We tried applying one reaction discovered a century ago and found it could drastically improve cutting-edge medical treatments,” Mitchell says. “It’s exciting to imagine what else remains to be rediscovered.”