SKM 2023 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 26: Focus Session mRNA Physics
BP 26.8: Vortrag
Donnerstag, 30. März 2023, 17:15–17:30, TOE 317
Charge and structural properties of transfection lipid layers adsorbing mRNA — •Miriam Grava1, Ibrahim Mohd2,3, Julio Pusterla1, Julian Philipp4, Joachim Rädler4, Olaf Soltwedel1, Nadine Schwierz2,3, Heinrich Haas5, and Emanuel Schneck1 — 1Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany — 2University of Augsburg, Germany — 3Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany — 4Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany — 5BioNTech Corporation, Mainz, Germany
Some of the most effective COVID-19 vaccines are based on cationic lipid-based delivery systems for messenger RNA (mRNA), a promising technology for a broader use in biomedical applications. Its efficiency depends on pH variations and ionic conditions of the bulk phase. We combine x-ray scattering and x-ray fluorescence on monolayers of positively chargeable transfection lipid mixtures with atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in order to determine their pH-dependent structural properties and the protonation degree. While the experiments yield electron density profiles and surface charge densities, the MD simulations yield the area per molecule, the conformation of different lipid species, and the counter-ion distributions. The analysis of experimental and simulation data provides detailed information on the transfection lipid layer characteristics. We applied the same experimental techniques to transfection lipid layers before and after mRNA adsorption, which yields insights into the structure of the adsorbed layers and the interfacial electrostatic balance.