Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Brookhaven and industry partners published a detailed biophysical analysis of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) architectures, showing that LNPs adopt diverse shapes and internal structures that correlate with delivery efficiency and tissue targeting. The work used complementary imaging and biophysical techniques to move beyond treating LNPs as a single class of vehicle. Authors Kushol Gupta and Michael Mitchell said the findings enable a more rational approach to matching LNP design to therapeutic payloads and target tissues, which could speed optimization of mRNA and other nucleic acid therapeutics by linking formulation features to biological outcomes.