RNA therapies have emerged as a transformative modality across vaccines, cancer immunotherapy, and gene editing. Novel delivery vehicles that can protect RNA and ensure functional delivery while navigating the immune system are critical to their success. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have led this charge, but growing clinical interest and new therapeutic targets have catalyzed interest in next-generation delivery vehicles including polymers, extracellular vesicles, cell-penetrating peptides, hybrid nanocarriers, and viral-like particles. At the same time, a deeper understanding of how these platforms interact with the immune system is essential for designing therapeutics that are both safe and potent. This Research Topic aims to highlight interdisciplinary advances in delivery vehicle design, immune profiling, formulation optimization, and translational strategies that bridge basic immunology and therapeutic innovation in RNA medicine.

A central goal of this Research Topic is to explore and advance the design of RNA delivery vehicles through an immunological lens and deepen our understanding of how potent platforms interact with the immune system, including mechanisms of recognition and inflammation. By integrating insights from material science, immunology, and formulation engineering, this work seeks to inform the rational design of RNA delivery systems that are not only functionally efficient but also immunologically optimized for diverse clinical applications.

This Research Topic aims to showcase interdisciplinary research at the intersection of RNA delivery, immunology, and translational medicine. We invite contributions addressing, but not limited to the following themes:

Novel RNA delivery vehicles

Methods to minimize toxicity and reactogenicity of current formulations

Interaction of cargo and delivery vehicles with host immune system

Targeted strategies to achieve Extrahepatic delivery

Endosomal escape mechanisms

Scale-up and formulation optimization

Submissions may include original research articles, reviews, methods, and perspectives that drive conceptual or technological advances in the field.

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Immune Interfaces and Engineering Strategies for RNA Delivery Systems