Delivery of defective interfering RNA antivirals to the lungs using hyperbranched poly(beta-amino ester) nanoparticles

Hyperbranched poly(beta-amino ester) (hPBAE) nanoparticles represent a promising platform for nucleic acid delivery, particularly to the lungs. In this study, we evaluate the potential of hPBAE nanoparticles to deliver defective interfering RNA (diRNA) antivirals targeting betacoronaviruses under a range of formulations and storage conditions. hPBAE-diRNA nanoparticles demonstrated efficient cellular uptake of functional diRNA across diverse cell types, conferred protection against nuclease-mediated degradation, and exhibited low in vitro cytotoxicity. In vivo, these nanoparticles enabled effective delivery of functional diRNA to the lungs of golden hamsters without inducing adverse physiological effects. Collectively, these findings support hPBAE nanoparticles as a safe and effective platform for diRNA delivery for the treatment of respiratory viral infections. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=66 SRC="FIGDIR/small/721911v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (19K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2fc386org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cda4f9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9f61borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1fc8461_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOGraphical Abstract.C_FLOATNO Defective interfering RNA was mixed with hyperbranched poly(beta-amino ester) nanoparticles and delivered to cells in vitro and to golden hamsters in vivo, to measure toxicity and the replication potential of the RNA. C_FIG