Research Advances in Lipid- and Polymer-Based mRNA Delivery Systems

Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) has emerged as promising therapeutic nucleic acid with great potential in many therapeutic applications such as protein replacement therapy, vaccines, gene editing, etc. However, the clinical implementation of mRNA therapeutics critically depends on the safe and effective mRNA delivery to the target site. Lipid- and polymer-based vectors are widely used for mRNA delivery by virtue of their structural diversity and facile preparation. They can effectively load mRNA and protect it from degradation, promote its uptake by target cells, facilitate effective endosome escape and release mRNA for therapeutic purposes. In this review, we summarized recent progress on the development of lipid and polymer vectors in mRNA delivery, hoping to provide a new perspective and reference for the rational design of mRNA delivery systems.