Lipid-based nanoparticle production in Micromixers

Lipid-based nanoparticles have demonstrated to be a versatile vehicle for drugs, genetic material, and labels. These particles are often made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials, enabling a safe interaction with biological systems. The importance of this type of delivery vehicle has been shown recently, as the two leading vaccines are based on lipid-nanoparticles encapsulating mRNA. Passive micromixers produce lipid nanoparticles in a reproducible and controllable way. However, micromixers suffered at the beginning of low production rate, and complicated designs which were difficult to produce and prone to clogging. In recent years, the exploration of different mixing strategies based on the use of curvilinear paths to induce centripetal forces and vortex formation at high speeds as well as the increase of the microchannel cross-sectional area while keeping laminar flow regimes has led to designs capable of producing lipid-based nanoparticles on an industrial-scale. However, there are still challenges in the field which include the removal or substitution of the organic solvents that still need to be addressed. In this presentation, we introduce a general overview of lipid nanoparticle or liposome production in micromixers, the principles of mixing using curvilinear paths, the key variables controlling lipid-based nanoparticle physicochemical characteristics and approaches that help to substitute toxic solvent residues.