ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of Double-Stranded RNA for Apoptotic Mitochondrial Profiling in Cancer Cells

Abstract: Traditional cancer treatments often lack specificity, damaging malignant cells alongside healthy tissue. This indiscriminate targeting demonstrates the need for anticancer therapeutics capable of inducing selective cytotoxicity in cancerous cells. The proposed study aims to investigate the targeted effects of various double-stranded RNA- encapsulated lipid nanoparticles (dsRNA-LNPs) on mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic induction in cancer cells. Various LNP formulations will be measured to improve our fundamental understanding of how the charge, lipid species, and size of LNPs contributes to selective cellular uptake. SANS2d will be utilized to monitor the specific induction of apoptosis in cancer cells and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy by monitoring changes to the lipid packing arrangements within cancerous mitochondrial membranes. SANS2d provides an unparalleled technique in which to observe mitochondrial membrane ultrastructure in real time under non-destructive, probe-free conditions. Our previous investigations on SANS2d demonstrated that cancerous mitochondrial membranes contain non-lamellar organizations, as determined by the distances between adjacent Bragg peak positions in mitochondrial SANS scattering curves. The results of the proposed experiment will provide essential insight into how apoptosis can be selectively induced in cancerous cells using dsRNA-LNP delivery systems while reducing off-target effects associated with conventional cancer treatments.

Principal Investigator: Dr Drew Marquardt
Experimenter: Ms Jillian Aragones
Experimenter: Ms Ava Goudie
Experimenter: Dr Iain McKenzie
Experimenter: Mr Stuart Castillo
Local Contact: Dr Najet Mahmoudi
Experimenter: Miss Natalie Robinson

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610259

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2610259

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Drew Marquardt et al; (2026): Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of Double-Stranded RNA for Apoptotic Mitochondrial Profiling in Cancer Cells, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610259

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.