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Microfluidic LNP Pack

Lipid Nanoparticle Synthesis Pack

All you need to generate liposome and lipid nanoparticles
LOW OR HIGH THROUGHPUT

From 100µL/min to 30 mL/min

FROM SCREENING TO SCALED UP PRODUCTION

Produce liposomes and lipid nanoparticles from few µL to L

HIGHLY REPRODUCIBLE PROTOCOLS

Reproduce highly monodisperse nanoparticles - from 60 to 250 nm.

Refer to Inside Tx, our exclusive lipid nanoparticles partner, offering the latest solutions on nanoparticle synthesis for scalable RNA-LNP-based drug development processes.

Go to Inside Therapeutics

Inside Therapeutics, our specialized partner for nanoparticles!The lipid nanoparticle generation Pack offered by Elveflow is designed for researchers with no experience in microfluidics and/or lipid nanoparticle generation to easily produce lipid nanoparticles (LNP) using microfluidics techniques.

Thanks to our pressure-driven flow control system, a wide range of flow rates (TFR) – from µL/min to 10s of mL/min – can accommodate both low (µL) and large (L) volume production.

This versatile platform can be easily scaled up to meet your requirements from the screening to the production stage.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanoliposomes can be synthesized using this instrument pack.

 

Why using microfluidics for lipid nanoparticle synthesis?

Historically, the generation of LNPs was carried out using standard bulk processes (precipitation, emulsion, solvent evaporation and sonication). However, these techniques suffer from broad size distribution and poor batch-to-batch reproducibility. This is highly problematic in clinical trials and production stages of drug development. Microfluidics is a highly promising alternative that has attracted a lot of attention for its advantages as a LNP fabrication method.

Some of these advantages include:

  • Reduced mixing time 
  • Increased homogeneity
  • High monodispersity: polydispersity index (PDI) lower than 0.2
  • Continuous production and high throughput
  • Automated nanoparticle production
  • Excellent repeatability from one run to another
  • Possibility of working with both small (µL) and large (L) volumes using the same system

For more information you can read our review about nanoparticles synthesis in microfluidics.

Nanoparticle size

We have conducted extensive characterisation of LNPs generated using this pack including DLS and cryoTEM measurements.
Using various TFR and FRR conditions, we synthesised LNPs ranging from 60 up to 250 nm diameter.

DLS graph Herringbone 1

Intensity (yellow), number (green) and volume (blue) profiles of LNPs generated using the Herringbone micromixer with a 3:1 FRR and a 4ml/min TFR.

Cryo TEM analysis 1

Plot of ImageJ analysis of LNPs size generated using the Herringbone micromixer with a 3:1 FRR and a 4ml/min TFR.

Content and setup of the Pack

 

Micromixing chips

Mixing the two aqueous/RNA and ethanol/lipid phases is the key step of NPs generation. In this Pack, based on microfluidics efficiency, this is done using micromixing chips. For instance, one would use a flow focusing micromixer allowing for passive nucleation of nanoparticles.

This Pack and our experts help you choosing the appropriate chip!

Setup & content
lipid nanoparticle generation using a herringbone chip e1643278665202
This Pack includes all the necessary equipment to start out of the box:

  • 2 channels between for each of the aqueous and lipidic phases
  • flow rate sensors to control the flow rate ratio (FRR) between the two phases
  • micromixers
  • all required tubing and fittings
  • reservoirs from 500µL Eppendorfs to bottles with GL45 caps.

 

Application notes

  • How to prepare PLGA nanoparticle by hydrodynamic flow focusing
  • Nanoparticle generator
  • Synthetic Organelles
  • Nanoparticles & nanohydrogels
  • Encapsulation
  • Drug-delivery
  • How does microfluidics alginate beads production work?

All our application notes

Reviews

  • Liposome and Lipid nanoparticle | An overview
  • Microfluidics for PLGA nanoparticle synthesis: A review
  • Introduction to droplet-based microfluidics
  • Droplets encapsulation for biological applications: a review
  • Droplet production methods
  • Sodium Alginate and applications: a review

All our reviews 

Microfluidics herringbone lipid nanoprecipitation principle

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a critical polymeric molecule for the regulation and expression of genes. RNA interference (RNAi) is a method that silences genes by using sequence-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). Based on their mRNA counterpart nucleotide sequences siRNAs block the production of specific proteins [1-3]. To deliver siRNA for therapeutic applications, lipid nanoparticles (LNP) are the most commonly used system for in vivo applications like anti-tumor agent or polyneuropathies treatment [4-5].
The BioNTech/Pfizer’s BNT162b2 and Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccines also use lipid nanoparticles as vehicles for mRNA delivery into the cytoplasm of host cells that lead to the production of COVID-neutralizing antibodies [5]. Thus, lipid nanoparticle synthesis have played a critical role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and other nanomedicines and are considered to be very promising for the development of new drug delivery systems [6].

Lipid nanoparticles can be used for other applications like using solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) as cosmetic delivery systems [7].

The lipid nanoparticle synthesis pack includes staggered herringbone micromixers that create chaotic flows. They are the most commonly used microfluidic chips for LNP synthesis [8]. The structure generates chaotic advection which is able to induce rapid mixing at Reynolds numbers smaller than 1 [9] thus allowing a better encapsulation efficiency than bulk methods [10].

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation example

  1. Whitehead, K., Langer, R. & Anderson, D. Knocking down barriers: advances in siRNA delivery. Nat Rev Drug Discov 8, 129–138 (2009).
  2. Belliveau N., Huft J., Lin P., Chen S., Leung A., Leaver T., Wild A., Lee J., Taylor R., Tam Y., Hansen C., Cullis P., Microfluidic Synthesis of Highly Potent Limit-size Lipid Nanoparticles for In Vivo Delivery of siRNA, Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids, 1, 2012, e37, 2162-2531
  3. Allen, Theresa M., and Pieter R. Cullis. “Drug delivery systems: entering the mainstream.” Science 303.5665 (2004), 1818-1822.
  4. Sasayama Y., Hasegawa M., Taguchi E., Kubota K., Kuboyama T., Naoi T., Yabuuchi H., Shimai N., Asano M., Tokunaga A., Ishii T., Enokizono J., 2019, In vivo activation of PEGylated long circulating lipid nanoparticle to achieve efficient siRNA delivery and target gene knock down in solid tumors. Journal of Controlled Release
  5. Let’s talk about lipid nanoparticles. Nat Rev Mater 6, 99 (2021).
  6. Thi, T.T.H.; Suys, E.J.A.; Lee, J.S.; Nguyen, D.H.; Park, K.D.; Truong, N.P. Lipid-Based Nanoparticles in the Clinic and Clinical Trials: From Cancer Nanomedicine to COVID-19 Vaccines. Vaccines 2021, 9, 359
  7. Sylvia A Wissing; Rainer H Müller (2003). Cosmetic applications for solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), 254(1), 65–68.
  8. Maeki M., Kimura N., Sato Y., Harashima H., Tokeshi M., 2018, Advances in microfluidics for lipid nanoparticles and extracellular vesicles and applications in drug delivery systems. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
  9. N-T. Nguyen, Z. Wu, Micromixers-a review, J. Micromech. Microeng. 15, 2005, R1-R16.
  10. Leung A., Hafez I., Baoukina S., Belliveau S., Zhigaltsev I., Afshinmanesh E., Tieleman P., Hansen C., Hope M., and Cullis P., The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2012 116 (34), 18440-18450

The amazing benefits of microfluidics can be applied to many Liposome and Lipid Nanoparticle applications and therefore the content of the Liposome and Lipid Nanoparticle Synthesis Pack can be adjusted to suit your specific needs!

Full control over key parameters impacting the mixing

There are a few ways to generate lipid nanoparticles in microfluidics. In any case, the most important part relies on the fast mixing of two phases (organic and aqueous). The more efficient and homogeneous the mixing is, the better the control over the size and its distribution. The following figure illustrates how the speed of mixing influences the LNPs size; a slow dilution of the ethanol phase (a) leads to large particles in comparison with a faster dilution (b).

illustration of the mixing time influence over the lipid nanoparticle size

Micromixing chips

The Herringbone ChipShop Fluidic 187

herringbone chip

The Flow focusing ChipShop Fluidic 386

flow focusing chip

Contact our experts to know which one will be best suited to your requirements! 

Liposome and Lipid Nanoparticle Synthesis Pack related videos

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Testimonials

Liposome and Lipid nanoparticle synthesis

The Liposome and Lipid nanoparticle synthesis pack is designed to suit your application requirements.

It contains at least two pumping channels to push the two chemical solutions needed to perform the Liposome and lipid nanoparticle synthesis process inside at least one herringbone micromixer chip. Lipid nanoparticle (LNP), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanoliposomes can be synthesized using this instrument pack.

Microfluidics chips are used in this system to induce the mixing of your two solutions at a microfluidic scale. The first liquid contains the lipids in ethanol and the second one is the aqueous solution with possibly the hydrophile load that will be encapsulated inside the newly formed LNP such as siRNA or mRNA for example (see the application tab).

Two different chip designs can be provided with this pack, depending on your requirements:

  • Flow focusing chips for smooth control of your low volumes/flow rates
  • Staggered herringbone which induces a chaotic mixing for larger volumes/flow rates.

The production can be easily scaled up by increasing the volumes and flow rates, and/or parallelizing several micromixers instead of one, thus increasing the overall throughput of the system while maintaining monodispersity and yield.

The stability and the speed of the reaction directly depend on the flow rates of each fluid and their ratios in the microfluidic channel. The flow is created by the Elveflow OB1 mk3+ flow controller and the flow rates are measured and regulated thanks to flow rate sensors (MFS or BFS series) permitting a very high accuracy and stable flow control. The combination of these instruments is the fastest and most precise microfluidic flow control available on the market which guaranties the best possible LNP monodispersity and reproducibility. Furthermore, the lipid nanoparticle synthesis process can be automated thanks to the software controlling the Elveflow instruments.

Pressure-driven flow control systems are well-suited for Liposome and Lipid nanoparticle synthesis compared to peristaltic or syringe pumps as they offer the most pulsless flow and can be easily adapted for small and large volumes.

Graph pressure-driven syringe pump flow rate time

Configure your microfluidics lipid nanoparticle production

The fluidic 187 herringbone chip from microfluidic ChipShop is composed of three separate channels that are 200 µm deep and 600 µm wide. The two inlets for a single channel are 300 µm wide and the single outlet is 600 µm wide. The microfluidic chip is available in polycarbonate (PC) or Zeonor cyclo-olefin copolymer (COP) materials: these materials are optically transparent and harder than the classically used PDMS.

Fluidic 187 herringbone ChipShop chip infoHerringbone micromixer, ChipShop Fluidic187

Alternatively, you can choose a flow focusing micromixer wich will allow for nanoparticle nucleation thanks to diffusion at the interface of the phases.

The microfluidic platform flexibility can be increased by adding a MUX Distribution 12:1 valve after the reservoirs that allows switching between up to 12 different solutions in an instant. This can be, for example, used to quickly change the load of the lipid nanoparticle!

A broad range of reservoirs are compatible with our OB1 flow controller, from 1.5 mL Eppendorf tubes to 100 mL bottles. It is also possible to add pumping channels on the OB1 pressure control pump to increase the number of parallel micromixer channels further.

Contact our experts to answer any questions about this lipid nanoparticle synthesis pack and how it can match your specifications!

Need help or technical information?
Refer to Inside Tx, our exclusive lipid nanoparticles partner, offering the latest solutions on nanoparticle synthesis for scalable RNA-LNP-based drug development processes.

Go to Inside Therapeutics

Need help or advice?

For any help to determine what microfluidic instruments you need, you can contact us!
Our experts will help you build the best microfluidic setup for your application, with our state-of-the-art microfluidic line.

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