Since transfection of these objects is only efficient inside a narrow pKa range, most of Moderna’s corporate IP focuses on their cationic or ionizable components. For 10 points each:
[10m] Name these drug delivery vehicles that entrap nucleic acids within a PEGylated shell and, often, a solid core. Moderna uses them to deliver mRNA vaccines.
ANSWER: lipid nanoparticles [or lipid-based nanoparticles; or LNPs; or solid LNPs or solid lipid nanoparticles or solid-core LNPs or SLNs; or nanostructured lipid carriers or NLCs; prompt on lipids; prompt on nanoparticles]
[10e] Virtually all LNPs contain four components: a cationic lipid, a PEGylated lipid, a helper lipid, and this steroid precursor, which stabilizes lipid shells in the same way that it rigidifies cell membranes.
ANSWER: cholesterol [or cholesterin; or cholesteryl alcohol; or cholest-5-en-3β-ol]
[10h] In lieu of screening thousands of cationic lipids for pKa, siRNA uptake can be enhanced by conjugating it to this sugar. O-glycosylation of mucins begins with the transfer of this sugar to a serine or threonine.
ANSWER: GalNAc (“GAL-nack”) [or N-acetylgalactosamine; or 2-(acetylamino)-2-deoxy-D-galactose; reject “galactose” or “Gal”; reject “GlcNAc”]
<AS, Chemistry>