Nanoparticle Payload Encapsulation
The problem
Nailing the exact right RNA, DNA, or oligo payloads needed for safe and effective therapeutic nanoparticles can be a time-consuming process with a bunch of iterations before success. Some labs encapsulate a handful of payload candidates per day, others screen hundreds per week. Each payload synthesized needs to be protected from degradation and tested for efficacy. Encapsulating these payloads into nanoparticles improves stability and makes it easier to get those payloads into cells to check out the performance.
To make things harder, nucleic acid payloads are complex to make and every microliter is precious, so having an encapsulation process that is consistent, simple and low-volume is a must . However, manual methods like pipette mixing produce variable particles that make performance data hard to interpret, and many commercially available instruments require larger input volumes that are too resource-hungry, and don’t have a clear route towards manufacturability of a final drug product.
The right tools for the job
Sunshine offers a quick and simple approach to encapsulating your cargo, and comes in three different setups to suit your nanoparticle needs. For speedy fuss-free encapsulation of payload into nanoparticles, Sunshine Single offers step-by-step guided software so anyone can walk up and reliably encapsulate small volumes of payload within a matter of minutes, at volumes down to 400 µL.
If you need something higher throughput, Sunscreen can fully automate the same process for payload-nanoparticle library generation in well plate format with just a few hundred microliters of reagent per experiment. Run sets of up to 96 experiments to test every combination you can think of, or just a couple of samples to automatically mix together your latest and greatest formulations.
The proof
Easy Peasy
Sunshine Single gets your payload into LNPs pronto with minimal fuss. Just follow the steps on the screen, load in your reagents when prompted and collect your sample. The automated system cleaning cycle is a part of your experiment, meaning at the end of your run, you can jump straight into the next one. Because Sunshine is a part of the Sunny Suite and uses the same pumps and microfluidic mixing technology as our GMP manufacturing instrument, Sunbather, the route forward for your chosen therapeutic candidate is paved all the way.
Every drop counts
Each payload candidate is painstakingly synthesized, and the last thing you want to do is see it go to waste. With Sunshine and Sunscreen, you have full control over head and tail cuts to decide what gets collected and what doesn’t. With Sunshine Single’s reduced flowpath length, and Sunscreen’s Anti-Dispersion Technology, you run samples as low as 400 µL.
The DoE dream
Sunscreen takes payload screening to the max so you can feed a ton of samples into your characterization tools and machine-learning strategies, correlating changes in RNA sequence with in vivo performance. If you’re going to vary the payload, but you want to keep the nanoparticle formulation and the microfluidic process fixed, Sunscreen is the perfect consistent production process for the job. Sunscreen gives a particle size CV of <1% across repeat formulations, so you can be confident that the changes in your transfection efficacy are because of the change to your construct, not run-to-run variations in your process.
Sunshine
Sunshine is all about helping researchers create the perfect therapeutic nanoparticle. Automate your exploration of ideal flow rates, different mixing options, and the right dilution factors to keep them stable. When you’ve got everything just right, Sunshine can shift into continuous mode, making tens of liters in a day. Get process development and scale-up on one platform — who would have figured?
Sunscreen
Between crafting a perfect payload and fine-tuning the formulation for delivery, creating the perfect therapeutic nanoparticle can feel like it drags on forever. Worst of all, it’s usually done one experiment at a time. Sunscreen flips the script by creating 96 unique, small volume nanoparticle formulations in a day, so you can screen more payloads and formulations than you ever thought was possible.
Want more info?
Want to learn more about how Sunshine and Sunscreen help you with payload encapsulation?