Two independent studies reported actionable improvements to lipid nanoparticle (LNP) therapeutics: a simple amino acid cocktail that markedly increases mRNA and CRISPR editing efficiency, and an in vivo assay that quantifies hepatic LNP delivery and endosomal escape. The amino-acid approach—tested by researchers at an academic Biohub—showed large gains in cellular uptake and functional output for both mRNA expression and CRISPR edits in preclinical models. Paired with in vivo delivery assays, developers now have both a formulation enhancement and measurement tools to accelerate LNP lead selection for liver-targeted and systemic RNA programs.