Olive Oil: The Secret to Safer mRNA Vaccines

Researchers in the US have discovered that using phenols from olive oil can improve the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines. They created new lipids that are better mRNA 'delivery vehicles,' reducing inflammation.

The research, published in 'Nature Biomedical Engineering,' shows that adding phenols, chemical substances with anti-inflammatory properties found in olive oil, to the ionized lipids of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) reduces inflammation and increases vaccine effectiveness.

Michael Mitchell, Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that changing the 'recipe' of the lipids made them work better with fewer side effects. The team investigated the Mannich reaction, discovering that adding phenols significantly reduced inflammation.

In experiments, the new lipids improved the performance of mRNA vaccines, CRISPR genome editing tools, and therapeutic cancer vaccines. In animal models, COVID-19 vaccines with the new lipids had a five times stronger immune response.