Biology subjects

Goodier, K. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Goodier, K. D..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Fibroblast signaling influences macrophage-dependent, biomaterial-induced tissue remodeling

The ability to induce tissue regeneration on demand using biomaterials remains a major goal in biomedical research, yet significant challenges persist. Among the most advanced biomaterial models, the nanofiber-hydrogel composite has demonstrated a striking ability to induce soft adipose tissue remodeling at the injection site without incorporating exogenous biological cues.1,2 However, the underlying mechanisms that drive such a tissue response remain unclear. Here, we show that biomaterial-induced tissue remodeling is driven by sustained and controlled inflammation mediated by macrophages in strong communication with fibroblasts. Notably, both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals remained elevated during this process in the long-term, challenging the prevailing notion that inflammation opposes remodeling. Using macrophage depletion in mice, we demonstrate that macrophages are essential for this process. Single-cell RNA sequencing further revealed robust fibroblast-to-macrophage signaling, contrasting with the conventional macrophage-to-fibroblast paradigm, and identified unique Spp1 macrophages and Ctla2a fibroblasts within the remodeling niche. These findings provide a comprehensive view of the immune landscape in biomaterial-induced tissue remodeling, highlighting key cellular interactions, prolonged kinetics, and unexpected signaling pathways. By defining key targets and fundamental principles, this work has broad implications for advancing biomaterial-induced tissue regeneration.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Crosslinking of Lipid Nanoparticles Enhances the Delivery Efficiency and Efficacy of mRNA Vaccines

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have enabled the effective delivery of RNA therapeutics and mRNA vaccines. However, their broader applications are limited by the suboptimal stability and endosomal escape efficiency. Here, we present an easy-to-adopt post-assembly crosslinking approach to enhance the structural and functional stability of mRNA LNPs. By leveraging a series of cholesterol derivatives and crosslinking methods, we induce crosslinks of the lipid components following mRNA LNP assembly to form the crosslinked LNPs (cLNPs). We systematically evaluated crosslinking parameters and identified optimal conditions that enhance both the physical stability and transfection efficiency of cLNPs. Our findings demonstrate that cLNPs exhibit improved structural integrity under storage and lyophilization conditions, as well as increased extracellular stability and endosomal escape efficiency, resulting in improved performance of mRNA LNPs both in vitro and in vivo. This crosslinking strategy represents a critical advance in LNP engineering, enabling more resilient LNPs and broadening the applicability of LNP-based therapies for gene therapy and vaccine delivery. Our work lays the foundation for developing next-generation LNPs with superior stability and delivery efficiency, broadening the impact of RNA therapeutics and vaccines.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Buffer Valency Engineering Enables High-concentration and Shelf-stable DNA Transfection Particles for Viral Vector Production

Cost-effective and scalable production is critical for advancing the clinical translation of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy. The widely used transient transfection method using plasmid DNA (pDNA)-loaded transfection particles for AAV production faces technical challenges due to instability of the particles and the concentration limits for particle preparation, hindering reproducibility and scalability. Here, we report a streamlined and scalable strategy to generate shelf-stable, highly concentrated pDNA/poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) transfection particles. By incorporating trivalent citrate ions in the dilution buffers, we kinetically modulate electrostatic complexation to achieve uniform nanoparticle assembly and prevent aggregation at high concentrations. This enables a tenfold increase in pDNA concentration in stabilized transfection particles from a typical range of 10-20 g/mL to 200 g/mL, while reducing the required dosing volume from 5-10% to 0.5% of the cell culture medium. The particle assembly process is robust to changes in mixing scale and timing and is compatible with standard workflows. We demonstrate equivalent AAV production efficiencies to standard methods and consistent performance in various production scales, which confirms the practical utility of this assembly method in developing robust, scalable, and cost-effective AAV manufacturing processes.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2025

Systemic trafficking of mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccine following intramuscular injection generates potent tissue-specific T cell response

The mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) represent a new generation of vaccine carriers designed to elicit potent immune responses against infectious diseases and cancer. Despite the clinical success and rapid advancements in mRNA LNP technologies, the trafficking patterns of LNPs after intramuscular (i.m.) administration and the subsequent tissue-specific immunological effects have not been systematically characterized. Here, we report that trafficking of mRNA LNPs to different organs following i.m. injection is crucial for the induction of tissue-specific immunity beyond systemic immune response, particularly in tissue-resident CD8+ T cell generation, which is important for localized defense. By fine-tuning the composition of mRNA LNPs, trafficking patterns to systemic organs can be modulated, which can alter the resulting tissue-specific immune response. Formulations with a greater ability to enter the bloodstream can preferentially localize and transfect cells in specific organs like the liver, elicit stronger tissue-specific CD8+ T cell immune responses, and achieve enhanced efficacy in a liver tumor model. These findings highlight the potential to tailor mRNA LNP compositions to modulate trafficking following i.m. injection, thereby providing novel strategies for designing tissue-specific vaccines. Such strategies are particularly valuable for organ-specific diseases like cancer and infectious diseases, where tissue targeting and long-lasting immunity are essential for therapeutic success.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

mRNA lipid nanoparticle-incorporated nanofiber-hydrogel composite generates a local immunostimulatory niche for cancer immunotherapy

Hydrogel materials have emerged as versatile platforms for various biomedical applications. Notably, the engineered nanofiber-hydrogel composite (NHC) has proven effective in mimicking the soft tissue extracellular matrix, facilitating substantial recruitment of host immune cells and the formation of a local immunostimulatory microenvironment. Leveraging this feature, here we report an mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-incorporated NHC microgel matrix, termed LiNx, by incorporating LNPs loaded with mRNA encoding tumour antigens. Harnessing the potent transfection efficiency of LNPs in antigen-presenting cells (APCs), LiNx demonstrates remarkable immune cell recruitment, antigen expression and presentation, and cellular interaction. These attributes collectively create an immunostimulating milieu and yield a potent immune response achievable with a single dose, comparable to the conventional three-dose LNP immunization regimen. Further investigations reveal that the LiNx not only generates heightened Th1 and Th2 responses but also elicits a distinctive Type 17 T helper cell-mediated response pivotal for bolstering antitumour efficacy. Our findings elucidate the mechanism underlying LiNxs role in potentiating antigen-specific immune responses, presenting a new strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

bioengineering↗