Research from Purdue University has introduced a patent-pending, virus-mimicking platform technology designed to enhance messenger RNA (mRNA) therapies for bladder cancer cells. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details the features of this therapy-delivery system, named layer-by-layer elastin-like polypeptide nucleic acid nanoparticle (LENN). The research team, led by David Thompson, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and a member of Purdue's cancer and drug discovery institutes, includes Saloni Darji as the lead author of the paper. Thompson stated that the LENN system can be freeze-dried and stored as a powder for several days, maintaining full biological activity after rehydration. He also confirmed that the system targets specific tissue without altering natural entry pathways to tumors or triggering an immune response. LENN transports mRNA to cancer cells, where it releases the mRNA, leading to protein expression encoded by the mRNA. These findings suggest potential advantages over lipid nanoparticle delivery systems, which require continuous storage below minus 45 degrees Celsius to remain active. Additionally, LENN system components are products of biological expression, contributing to a more readily manufacturable delivery system. Thompson has disclosed LENN to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization.