Probing interactions between sponge phase lipid nanoparticles and supported lipid bilayers

Non-lamellar lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a promising line of inquiry for future drug delivery, where lipid sponge phase are particularly in particular for larger molecules like enzymes and other functional proteins. Here myoglobin (Mb), a functional protein relevant in the context of developing iron supplements is studied. We started investigating the potential interaction between our optimised LNPs and lipid bilayers mimicking the cell membrane. During a recent experiment on POLREF RB no. 2420477, we used polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) and lipid bilayer deposited on silica caped magnetic reference layers to explore the interaction between supported lipid bilayers, composed of POPC and the DOPC/GMO-50 LNPs We now propose exploring more complex bio-mimicking membranes that closely match in vivo systems should be studied. These studies will help to uncover LNP interaction for drug delivery.