{
  "abstract": "The protein corona influences the in vivo biodistribution of ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in nucleic acid delivery, yet their structural architecture remains poorly defined. Using cryo-transmission electron microscopy, we visualized LNP-protein interactions in their native state. We show that, unlike the discrete \"fuzzy\" shells observed on hard nanoparticles, LNPs displayed no peripheral protein shell. Instead, controlled incubation and competitive \"dual-particle\" assays, supported by molecular dynamics simulations, indicate that LNP membranes undergo localized thickening and electron-dense remodeling consistent with lipoprotein integration rather than surface adsorption. Similar features were observed in extracellular vesicles, suggesting that this behavior is shared among lipid-based carriers, and proteomic analysis identified apolipoproteins as the dominant associated proteins. Together, these findings support a model in which the biological identity of LNPs arises through membrane remodeling rather than shell-like adsorption and provide a framework for the rational design of targeted nanomedicines.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Michigan State University , , , ,",
    "Carnegie Mellon University , , , ,",
    "University of California Berkeley , , , ,",
    "Karolinska Institute , , ,",
    "University of Pennsylvania , , , ,",
    "McGill University , , , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 17,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shaun Grumelot",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-0357-1535"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Naseeha Mohammed",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-6680-1133"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ghafar Yerima",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-5292-8505"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jorge A. Colón-Rosado",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-5615-3806"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Seyed Amirhossein Sadeghi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fei Fang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0829-9871"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kylie Hilsen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        0
      ],
      "name": "Brooke Shango"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Amir Ata Saei",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2639-6328"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Amanda M. Murray",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-2124-351X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Michael J. Mitchell",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3628-2244"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Babak Borhan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3193-0732"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Liangliang Sun",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8939-5042"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Hojatollah Vali",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3464-9943"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad R. K. Mofrad",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7004-4859"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Kathryn A. Whitehead",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0100-7824"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Morteza Mahmoudi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2575-9684"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fqqjavzv5x4s.bib",
  "cited_by": 11,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00689",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9fqqjavzv5x4s",
  "issns": [
    "1530-6984",
    "1530-6992"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00689",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7202207080",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13523733",
  "pmid": "42677364",
  "published": "2026-08-11",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fqqjavzv5x4s.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:27:00Z",
      "native_id": "W7202207080",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00689"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Lipid Nanoparticle Protein Coronas Arise through Lipoprotein Fusion Rather Than Shell-like Adsorption",
  "title_text": "Lipid Nanoparticle Protein Coronas Arise through Lipoprotein Fusion Rather Than Shell-like Adsorption",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fqqjavzv5x4s",
  "venue": "Nano Letters",
  "versions": []
}