A study by Australian researchers compared three mRNA-LNP vaccine platforms in human blood samples, generating findings that could advance cancer treatment and vaccine design.
mRNA-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) transformed the way that vaccines are delivered to humans when they became widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
mRNA-LNPs are tiny parcels, ~800 times smaller than the width of a human hair, made of fatty acids (lipids) and containing cargo (messenger RNA) that needs to be delivered inside the body to generate a treatment response (for example, immunity to a virus).
Today, researchers around the world are investigating mRNA-LNPs as candidates for “cancer vaccines” that would deliver mRNA cargo to boost the patient’s immune system and empower it to kill cancer more effectively.
Tracking three vaccines in human blood
Led by researchers at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, this study analyzed 327 blood samples from 73 participants who received Moderna, Pfizer or an investigational COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.
The team assessed whether the mRNA cargo was present in the blood and remained intact after delivery, the stability of the lipid-based packaging and where degradation occurred in the mRNA cargo.
Dr. Yi (David) Ju, senior author of the paper published in ACS Nano and laboratory head at ONJCRI, affiliated with La Trobe University as the School of Cancer Medicine, said, “mRNA vaccines do not all behave the same way in the bloodstream. We found differences in how quickly their mRNA and lipid components declined, and how long sections of the mRNA remained intact.”
The researchers also found that much of the circulating mRNA measured in the Moderna and Pfizer groups was fragmented. A more detailed analysis in six Moderna recipients found that the mRNA was less intact near one end of the mRNA molecule, a pattern also seen in the original vaccine formulation.
Greater stability could allow lower doses
The findings provide strong clues on how to make the vaccines more stable, likely making them much more efficient so that patients can receive lower vaccine doses that cause fewer side effects.
Professor Stephen Kent, first author of the study and laboratory head at the Doherty Institute, said, “These findings give us a way to compare the mRNA cargo and lipid delivery components of different vaccines in people. That knowledge will help us design and evaluate future improved, more efficient mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, including approaches being developed for cancer.”
By establishing a framework to compare mRNA-LNP platforms in humans, the study can help guide the development of more effective mRNA-based medicines.
Publication details
Stephen J. Kent et al., In Vivo Blood Kinetics and Transcript Integrity of Three mRNA–Lipid Nanoparticle Vaccines in Humans, ACS Nano (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6c09226
Journal information:
ACS Nano
Citation:
Head-to-head comparison of three mRNA vaccines reveals differences in their stability in human blood (2026, October 16)
retrieved 16 October 2026
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