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Lipid Nanoparticles in COVID-19 Vaccines
The mRNA gene therapy-based COVID-19 vaccine products by Pfizer and Moderna both use artificial lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to encapsulate and transport the enclosed mRNA payload through the cellular membrane of a patient's cells.1)
Controversy
Legal Challenges
On February 28, 2022, Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences filed a lawsuit against Moderna, accusing the company of seven counts of patent infringement.2)
The suit alleges that Moderna had licensed Arbutus' LNP technology for its products, but not specifically for their mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine product. While the companies are seeking financial compensation, they insist they do not intend to halt or otherwise impede the distribution of the product.
Moderna denied the allegations, claiming they had created their own proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology for use in their mRNA platform.
1)
Schoenmaker, L., Witzigmann, D., Kulkarni, J. A., Verbeke, R., Kersten, G., Jiskoot, W., & Crommelin, D. (2021). mRNA-lipid nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccines: structure and stability. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 601, 120586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120586
2)
Choi, J. (2022, February 28). Biotech firms allege Moderna hijacked technology to develop COVID-19 vaccine. The Hill. https://archive.ph/vTcy9