Lipid-Based Nanocarriers: Engineering Strategies for Advanced Cancer and mRNA Delivery Platforms

Effective drug delivery remains a significant challenge in cancer therapy, often hampered by poor drug solubility, systemic toxicity, and insufficient tumor accumulation. Traditional chemotherapy agents like doxorubicin frequently exhibit dose-limiting side effects and limited specificity, necessitating improved targeting strategies. Lipid-based nanocarriers (LNCs) offer a promising solution by encapsulating therapeutic payloads, enhancing their stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery to diseased sites. However, despite their success in some therapeutics and vaccines, persistent hurdles exist in their scalable synthesis, formulation, and quality control, particularly for complex anticancer drugs and emerging mRNA platforms.

This comprehensive review systematically analyzed the pharmaceutical engineering principles underlying lipid-based nanocarriers for cancer nanomedicine. Researchers examined the classification of lipids and other essential components used in LNC preparation, detailing their roles in structural design. The review critically assessed various formulation parameters, including optimal composition ratios, desired physicochemical characteristics, and diverse preparation methods. It also integrated recent progress in cancer nanomedicine, clinical trials, and regulatory approvals, drawing connections between established anticancer drug delivery systems and the rapid advancements in mRNA-based lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

The review highlights that the precise selection of lipids and excipients, alongside meticulous control over preparation methods, is paramount for designing effective lipid-based nanocarriers. Critical formulation parameters, such as lipid composition, particle size, surface charge, and lamellarity, directly influence the LNCs' stability, drug release kinetics, and cellular uptake. Understanding the interplay between these factors is crucial for overcoming challenges in large-scale manufacturing and ensuring consistent quality. The analysis underscored that while doxorubicin-loaded LNCs have paved the way, the principles guiding their development are highly relevant to the engineering of mRNA LNPs. > The review emphasizes that robust and scalable synthesis and formulation strategies are essential to translate the immense potential of lipid-based nanocarriers into widespread clinical success for both traditional chemotherapy and cutting-edge genetic therapies. This includes optimizing lipid ratios to achieve desired pharmacokinetics and minimize off-target effects.