C3 LNP

C3 LNP is an imidazolium-based cationic lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University for the delivery of mRNA. It is composed of a hydroxyethyl-substituted imidazolium lipid core, the helper lipid DOPE, and PEG. Unlike conventional ionizable LNPs that rely on pH-responsive ionization for endosomal escape, C3 LNP utilizes an ionization-independent mechanism to achieve efficient cellular uptake and Gal8-mediated endosomal escape. In preclinical studies, C3 LNP demonstrated the ability to elicit robust cellular immune responses, including a three-fold increase in antigen-specific IFN-γ⁺ T-cell responses compared to the ionizable lipid benchmark ALC-0315. It has shown efficacy in prophylactic melanoma challenge models, suggesting potential as a platform for next-generation mRNA cancer vaccines.