Lipid nanoparticle drug system targets COVID-19 associated lung damage

A new drug delivery system developed by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea may significantly reduce serious lung damage. The study was published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

The team designed tiny particles, called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), to carry two drugs directly to immune cells in the lungs, called neutrophils. Using COVID-19 as a model, they showed that the LNPs only targeted these lung cells, didn’t cause harm and reduced inflammation and early signs of scarring in mice.

The researchers hope this new method can also be used to treat other lung conditions like the flu and sepsis by targeting different immune cells or delivering other types of medicine.

“This project is a great example of how interdisciplinary research can facilitate the development of novel drug delivery platforms and evaluate their efficiency in animal models,” said Saguna Verma, JABSOM associate professor of tropical medicine.

“Recently, LNP-based selective organ targeting (SORT) has been developed for specifically targeting the liver, lung or spleen. However, the strength of this study is that our LNPs are designed not only to target the lung but specifically to lung neutrophils.”

Researchers used UH’s high-security lab to safely study the virus. For the first time, they were able to send two drugs—DNase I and Sivelestat—directly to infection-fighting cells in the lungs using a new delivery method.

Normally, these immune cells release web-like traps (called NETs) to catch germs. However, when too many are made, they can harm the lungs and lead to serious problems, especially in illnesses like COVID-19, explained Wooram Park of Sungkyunkwan University.

“Although drugs that block NETs exist, they often require high doses due to instability in the body and nonspecific off-target effects,” Park said.

“Our new approach overcomes these limitations by delivering both drugs directly to lung neutrophils using lipid nanoparticles, which improves drug effectiveness and minimizes side effects.”