RNA lipid nanoparticles as efficient in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool for therapeutic target validation in glioblastoma cancer stem cells

In vitro and ex-vivo target identification strategies often fail to predict in vivo efficacy, particularly for glioblastoma (GBM), a highly heterogenous tumor rich in resistant cancer stem cells (GSCs). An in vivo screening tool can improve prediction of therapeutic efficacy by considering the complex tumor microenvironment and the dynamic plasticity of GSCs driving therapy resistance and recurrence. This study proposes lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as an efficient in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool for target validation in mesenchymal GSCs. LNPs co-delivering mRNA (mCas9) and single-guide RNA (sgRNA) were successfully formulated and optimized facilitating both in vitro and in vivo gene editing. In vitro, LNPs achieved up to 67 % reduction in green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression, used as a model target, outperforming a commercial transfection reagent. Intratumoral administration of LNPs in GSCs resulted in ∼80 % GFP gene knock-out and a 2-fold reduction in GFP signal by day 14. This study showcases the applicability of CRISPR-Cas9 LNPs as a potential in vivo screening tool in GSCs, currently lacking effective treatment. By replacing GFP with a pool of potential targets, the proposed platform presents an exciting prospect for therapeutic target validation in orthotopic GSCs, bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical research.