LNP Cellular Delivery and Endosomal Escape Assay Services

What This Assay Service Answers

Lipid nanoparticle candidates can look comparable on particle size and encapsulation yet behave very differently inside cells. This service is a cell-culture diagnostic for formulation teams who need to know whether an LNP candidate achieves productive cytosolic delivery and expression, or whether it stalls at uptake, endosomal retention, payload integrity, or intracellular toxicity. Projects combine fluorescent cargo uptake, lysosomal co-localization, galectin recruitment, viability controls, and reporter expression readouts in relevant cell models, including hepatocyte-like cells. The output is a quantified, multi-parameter diagnostic report comparing formulation performance, so your team can prioritize candidates with clearer evidence about where each one succeeds or fails.

Complementary cytokine release assays can assess cytokine responses alongside delivery-related readouts.

Assay Capabilities and Scoped Readouts

Cargo Uptake and Lysosomal Co-localization

Fluorescent cargo uptake measurement paired with lysosomal co-localization imaging across a designed dose and time course, to assess whether candidates enter cells efficiently and whether cargo remains retained in endosomal or lysosomal compartments.

Galectin Recruitment Escape Readout

Galectin puncta recruitment assay as an endosomal escape readout, interpreted alongside uptake and co-localization data so escape signal is not read in isolation from delivery and retention behavior.

Reporter Expression and Viability Controls

Reporter protein or luciferase expression readout with cell viability and cytotoxicity controls, supporting interpretation of expression results against payload integrity and intracellular toxicity signals.

Cell Model Selection

Selection of a relevant reporter or target cell model for the project, including hepatocyte-like cells when appropriate to the candidate and question, agreed during study design.

How an Engagement Runs

Candidate and Payload Intake We review your mRNA-LNP or other payload candidates, the formulation information you can share, and the decision your team needs to make, then confirm the assay question and readout set.

Cell Model and Study Design A relevant reporter or target cell model is selected, and dose levels, time points, controls, and readout priorities are agreed before bench work begins.

Treatment and Imaging Readouts Candidates are applied across the designed dose and time course, with fluorescent cargo uptake measurement and lysosomal co-localization imaging performed at the agreed time points.

Escape, Expression, and Viability Assays Galectin puncta recruitment is assessed as an endosomal escape readout, alongside reporter protein or luciferase expression and cell viability and cytotoxicity controls.

What You Receive

Deliverable	Description
Formulation intake summary	A record of the LNP candidates and payloads received, the cell model selected, and the dose and time-course design agreed for the project.
Uptake and co-localization dataset	Quantified fluorescent cargo uptake measurements together with lysosomal co-localization imaging results across the tested time points.
Galectin recruitment results	Galectin puncta recruitment readouts used as an endosomal escape indicator, reported alongside the uptake and co-localization data.
Expression and viability readouts	Reporter protein or luciferase expression results with matched cell viability and cytotoxicity controls for each candidate tested.
Comparative diagnostic report	A multi-readout report comparing formulation performance and indicating whether weaker candidates show uptake failure, endosomal retention, or intracellular toxicity signals.

Why Choose Our LNP Delivery and Escape Assay

Multi-readout diagnosis, not a single signal

Uptake alone cannot tell you why an LNP candidate underperforms. Our assay combines fluorescent cargo uptake, lysosomal co-localization, galectin recruitment, reporter expression, and viability so that delivery failure can be separated from endosomal trapping or intracellular toxicity.

Cell models matched to your program

Projects are run in mammalian cell culture models selected for relevance to the formulation, including hepatocyte-like cells where appropriate. The reporter or target cell model is agreed during study design so readouts reflect the intended delivery context.

Formulation comparison in one study

Multiple LNP candidates can be evaluated side by side under a common dose and time-course design, giving a like-for-like comparison of which formulations achieve productive cytosolic delivery and expression.

Research reference

1. Cellular and biophysical barriers to lipid nanoparticle mediated delivery of RNA to the cytosol

Nature Communications. 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60959-z.

View article

Start an LNP Delivery and Endosomal Escape Assessment

Share your LNP candidates, payload type, and the cell model you want tested. We will confirm the readout panel, dose and time-course design, controls, and reporting format in a written project scope before work begins.

Projects involving antigen-presenting cells can include dendritic cell maturation and antigen presentation assays as a downstream functional assessment.

Request a project scope