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Author

Margaret M. Billingsley

Other affiliations: University of Delaware
Bio: Margaret M. Billingsley is an academic researcher from University of Pennsylvania. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & In vivo. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 15 publications receiving 700 citations. Previous affiliations of Margaret M. Billingsley include University of Delaware.
Topics: Medicine, In vivo, T cell, Messenger RNA, In vitro

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Advances in nanoparticle design that overcome heterogeneous barriers to delivery are discussed, arguing that intelligent nanoparticles design can improve efficacy in general delivery applications while enabling tailored designs for precision applications, thereby ultimately improving patient outcome overall.
Abstract: In recent years, the development of nanoparticles has expanded into a broad range of clinical applications. Nanoparticles have been developed to overcome the limitations of free therapeutics and navigate biological barriers - systemic, microenvironmental and cellular - that are heterogeneous across patient populations and diseases. Overcoming this patient heterogeneity has also been accomplished through precision therapeutics, in which personalized interventions have enhanced therapeutic efficacy. However, nanoparticle development continues to focus on optimizing delivery platforms with a one-size-fits-all solution. As lipid-based, polymeric and inorganic nanoparticles are engineered in increasingly specified ways, they can begin to be optimized for drug delivery in a more personalized manner, entering the era of precision medicine. In this Review, we discuss advanced nanoparticle designs utilized in both non-personalized and precision applications that could be applied to improve precision therapies. We focus on advances in nanoparticle design that overcome heterogeneous barriers to delivery, arguing that intelligent nanoparticle design can improve efficacy in general delivery applications while enabling tailored designs for precision applications, thereby ultimately improving patient outcome overall.

2,179 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ability of ionizable LNPs to deliver mRNA to primary human T cells for functional protein expression is demonstrated and the potential of LNPS to enhance mRNA-based CAR T cell engineering methods is indicated.
Abstract: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy relies on the ex vivo manipulation of patient T cells to create potent, cancer-targeting therapies, shown to be capable of inducing remission in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and large B cell lymphoma. However, current CAR T cell engineering methods use viral delivery vectors, which induce permanent CAR expression and could lead to severe adverse effects. Messenger RNA (mRNA) has been explored as a promising strategy for inducing transient CAR expression in T cells to mitigate the adverse effects associated with viral vectors, but it most commonly requires electroporation for T cell mRNA delivery, which can be cytotoxic. Here, ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were designed for ex vivo mRNA delivery to human T cells. A library of 24 ionizable lipids was synthesized, formulated into LNPs, and screened for luciferase mRNA delivery to Jurkat cells, revealing seven formulations capable of enhanced mRNA delivery over lipofectamine. The top-performing LNP formulation, C14-4, was selected for CAR mRNA delivery to primary human T cells. This platform induced CAR expression at levels equivalent to electroporation, with substantially reduced cytotoxicity. CAR T cells engineered via C14-4 LNP treatment were then compared to electroporated CAR T cells in a coculture assay with Nalm-6 acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, and both CAR T cell engineering methods elicited potent cancer-killing activity. These results demonstrate the ability of LNPs to deliver mRNA to primary human T cells to induce functional protein expression, and indicate the potential of LNPs to enhance mRNA-based CAR T cell engineering methods.

232 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The rational design and clinical status of several classes of cancer vaccines are discussed along with novel biomaterial‐based delivery technologies that improve their safety and efficacy.

152 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an overview of nanomaterials that have been used to overcome clinical barriers to T-cell-based immunotherapies and provide an outlook of this emerging field at the interface of cancer immunotherapy and Nanomaterial design.
Abstract: T-cell-based immunotherapies hold promise for the treatment of many types of cancer, with three approved products for B-cell malignancies and a large pipeline of treatments in clinical trials. However, there are several challenges to their broad implementation. These include insufficient expansion of adoptively transferred T cells, inefficient trafficking of T cells into solid tumours, decreased T-cell activity due to a hostile tumour microenvironment and the loss of target antigen expression. Together, these factors restrict the number of therapeutically active T cells engaging with tumours. Nanomaterials are uniquely suited to overcome these challenges, as they can be rationally designed to enhance T-cell expansion, navigate complex physical barriers and modulate tumour microenvironments. Here, we present an overview of nanomaterials that have been used to overcome clinical barriers to T-cell-based immunotherapies and provide our outlook of this emerging field at the interface of cancer immunotherapy and nanomaterial design. This Review discusses the progress and the remaining challenges for the clinical application of nanomaterial-based T-cell immunotherapies.

132 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This platform, which enables direct barcoding and subsequent quantification of a functional mRNA itself, can accelerate the in vivo screening and design of LNPs for mRNA therapeutic applications such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, mRNA vaccination, and other mRNA-based regenerative medicine and protein replacement therapies.

89 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Advances in nanoparticle design that overcome heterogeneous barriers to delivery are discussed, arguing that intelligent nanoparticles design can improve efficacy in general delivery applications while enabling tailored designs for precision applications, thereby ultimately improving patient outcome overall.
Abstract: In recent years, the development of nanoparticles has expanded into a broad range of clinical applications. Nanoparticles have been developed to overcome the limitations of free therapeutics and navigate biological barriers - systemic, microenvironmental and cellular - that are heterogeneous across patient populations and diseases. Overcoming this patient heterogeneity has also been accomplished through precision therapeutics, in which personalized interventions have enhanced therapeutic efficacy. However, nanoparticle development continues to focus on optimizing delivery platforms with a one-size-fits-all solution. As lipid-based, polymeric and inorganic nanoparticles are engineered in increasingly specified ways, they can begin to be optimized for drug delivery in a more personalized manner, entering the era of precision medicine. In this Review, we discuss advanced nanoparticle designs utilized in both non-personalized and precision applications that could be applied to improve precision therapies. We focus on advances in nanoparticle design that overcome heterogeneous barriers to delivery, arguing that intelligent nanoparticle design can improve efficacy in general delivery applications while enabling tailored designs for precision applications, thereby ultimately improving patient outcome overall.

2,179 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery can be found in this paper, where the authors discuss the design of nanoparticles and examine physiological barriers and possible administration routes for lipid nanoparticle-mRNA systems.
Abstract: Messenger RNA (mRNA) has emerged as a new category of therapeutic agent to prevent and treat various diseases. To function in vivo, mRNA requires safe, effective and stable delivery systems that protect the nucleic acid from degradation and that allow cellular uptake and mRNA release. Lipid nanoparticles have successfully entered the clinic for the delivery of mRNA; in particular, lipid nanoparticle-mRNA vaccines are now in clinical use against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which marks a milestone for mRNA therapeutics. In this Review, we discuss the design of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery and examine physiological barriers and possible administration routes for lipid nanoparticle-mRNA systems. We then consider key points for the clinical translation of lipid nanoparticle-mRNA formulations, including good manufacturing practice, stability, storage and safety, and highlight preclinical and clinical studies of lipid nanoparticle-mRNA therapeutics for infectious diseases, cancer and genetic disorders. Finally, we give an outlook to future possibilities and remaining challenges for this promising technology.

758 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article analyzes the interaction of nanoparticle surface and ligands with different chemical groups, the types of bonding, the final dispersibility of ligand-coated nanoparticles in complex media, their reactivity, and their performance in biomedicine, photodetectors, photovoltaic devices, light-emitting devices, sensors, memory devices, thermoelectric applications, and catalysis.
Abstract: The design of nanoparticles is critical for their efficient use in many applications ranging from biomedicine to sensing and energy. While shape and size are responsible for the properties of the inorganic nanoparticle core, the choice of ligands is of utmost importance for the colloidal stability and function of the nanoparticles. Moreover, the selection of ligands employed in nanoparticle synthesis can determine their final size and shape. Ligands added after nanoparticle synthesis infer both new properties as well as provide enhanced colloidal stability. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review on the role of the ligands with respect to the nanoparticle morphology, stability, and function. We analyze the interaction of nanoparticle surface and ligands with different chemical groups, the types of bonding, the final dispersibility of ligand-coated nanoparticles in complex media, their reactivity, and their performance in biomedicine, photodetectors, photovoltaic devices, light-emitting devices, sensors, memory devices, thermoelectric applications, and catalysis.

616 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of the field`s understanding of how nanoparticle physicochemical properties affect cellular interactions is summarized, cellular internalization pathways are reviewed, and intracellular nanoparticle trafficking and kinetics are explored.

456 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Current research progress on mRNA vaccines is summarized, which have the potential to be quick-manufactured and to become powerful tools against infectious disease and the bright future of their design and applications are highlighted.
Abstract: During the last two decades, there has been broad interest in RNA-based technologies for the development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Preclinical and clinical trials have shown that mRNA vaccines provide a safe and long-lasting immune response in animal models and humans. In this review, we summarize current research progress on mRNA vaccines, which have the potential to be quick-manufactured and to become powerful tools against infectious disease and we highlight the bright future of their design and applications.

434 citations