Cationic/Ionizable Lipids

In the past five years, DC Chemicals has focused on research and development in the RNA delivery field, successfully developing over 500 cationic lipid structures and maintaining an inventory of over 200 cationic lipids. We collaborate with leading gene delivery companies and research institutions worldwide, and our products and services have received widespread acclaim.
DC Chemicals has accumulated substantial experience in the synthesis of lipids, particularly for highly complex lipid molecules. Our unique chemical synthesis and purification processes often circumvent patented and literature-reported routes, allowing us to design new synthetic routes that yield lipid molecules with higher purity than those reported in literature and patents. Our representative molecules, such as LP-01, SM-102, ALC-0315, and DLIN-MC3-DMA, have purities exceeding 98% as tested by CAD-HPLC, placing them among the top purity products available.We have the capability to scale production from grams to kilograms.

Cationic ionizable lipids play a major role in the LNP formulation and its ability to transfect target cells with its cargo. The ionizable lipids are used to complex negatively charged nucleic acid cargo. The mRNA-cationic lipid complex fuses with the cell membrane and is then delivered into the cytosol. To be able to play these roles efficiently, a cationic ionizable lipid must be engineered with a suitable apparent acid dissociation constant (pKa). The apparent pKa of a cationic ionizable lipid is the likely pKa at the LNP surface. Currently, the cationic ionizable lipids in FDA-approved therapeutics all have an apparent pKa between 6-7. This is crucial for the cationic ionizable lipid to maintain a neutral charge while in systemic circulation (pH above the pKa of the lipid, pH ~7.5), as well as its ability to become positively charged in the endosome (pH ~6.5) and facilitate membrane fusion and subsequent cytosolic release.

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Cat. No.	Product Name	Field of Application
DC81110	TS-202 Featured	TS-202 is a novel ionizable lipid for RNA delivery. More description
DC60494	76-O17Se Featured	76-O17Se is a lipidoid for the efficient delivery of antiCD19 mRNA CAR to murine primary macrophages. 76-O17Se is more efficient than delivery with lipofectamine 2000 (LPF2K) or MC3 More description
DC82115	BAMP-TK-12 Featured	BAmP-TK-12 is a ROS-responsive ionizable lipid designed for tumor-cell mRNA delivery. It features a bis(aminopropyl)piperazine-derived ionizable headgroup and four C12 tails connected through cleavable thioketal linkers. In the reported study, BAmP-TK-12 achieved RFP expression in up to 95% of HeLa cells, comparable to Lipofectamine 3000, with lower cytotoxicity under the tested conditions. ROS-triggered linker cleavage supported intracellular mRNA release in high-ROS tumor cells. When formulated with DUF5 mRNA, the LNP suppressed tumor growth in HCT-116 and A549 xenograft models, supporting its use as a promising preclinical research lipid for stimulus-responsive mRNA delivery. More description
DC31024	SM-86(Lipid 5) Featured	SM86 is a cationic, ionizable lipid developed by Moderna as a core component of its lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform for mRNA therapeutic delivery.SM-086 is structurally optimized and analogous to SM-102 (used in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines), with modifications aimed at enhancing mRNA delivery efficiency and safety.SM-86 serves as the primary cationic lipid in three investigational mRNA therapies targeting rare metabolic disorders:mRNA-3927: Restores propionyl-CoA carboxylase activity in propionic acidemia (PA). mRNA-3705: Delivers methylmalonyl-CoA mutase mRNA for methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). mRNA-3210: Provides phenylalanine hydroxylase mRNA to treat phenylketonuria (PKU). More description
DC68211	lipid a12Dab4 Featured	a12Dab4 is a novel, high-performance peptide-based ionizable lipid designed specifically as the core functional building block for lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) targeting challenging or quiescent cell types, such as human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Chemically engineered to possess a unique peptide-mimetic backbone, it provides superior membrane fusion and exceptional endosomal escape capabilities compared to older-generation, industry-standard lipids like Dlin-MC3-DMA and ALC-0315. Functionally, its primary role within the LNP formulation is to complex and efficiently encapsulate sensitive nucleic acid payloads, such as mRNA or CRISPR/Cas9 editing machinery, at an optimal nitrogen-to-phosphate (N/P) ratio. When formulated, a12Dab4 enables maximum cellular transfection and robust genome editing while exhibiting minimal cytotoxicity and preserving the long-term proliferative, self-renewing functionality of primitive stem cell compartments. Although it delivers commendable baseline transfection independently, it functions as an exceptional molecular chassis that synergies seamlessly with surface antibody conjugation (such as anti-CD34) to unlock precise, therapeutic-grade in vivo gene engineering. More description
DC68207	Q1-SM-102 iodide Featured	Q1-SM-102 iodide is a quaternary ammonium lipid derivative of SM-102. Q1-SM-102 iodide can be used to prepare lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for the delivery of mRNA in vivo. Q1-SM-102 iodide is a carriers for targeting delivery of mRNA to immune organs. More description
DC67555	Lipid 2231 Featured	Sail Lipid 2231 is a novel ionizable lipid targeting to spleen developed by Sai Biomedicine.As described on US20250205167A1 Lipid 2231 features a pyrrolidine core (5-membered ring) with biodegradable ester linkages and asymmetric C17/C11 hydrophobic chains. In vivo data shows moderate spleen targeting (Spleen RLU: 3.8E+06) with a spleen-to-liver ratio of 12.767. More description
DC60929	Lipid 2310 Featured	Lipid 2310 is a novel ionizable lipid developed by Sail Biomedicine demonstrates excellent performance with a spleen-to-liver ratio of 5.58 and a very high total expression level of 1.3E+07. Lipid 2310 offers a strong balance of efficient systemic protein production and clear preferential delivery to the spleen. More description
DC60928	Lipid 2306 Featured	Lipid 2306 is a novel ionizable lipid developed by Sail Biomedicine demonstrates excellent performance with a spleen-to-liver ratio of 3.68 and a very high total expression level of 2.5E+07. Lipid 2306 offers a strong balance of efficient systemic protein production and clear preferential delivery to the spleen. More description
DC82209	Lipid 10a-26 Featured	Lipid 10a-26 is an ionizable lipid developed by Orna Therapeutics for lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations. Lipid 10a-26 is a key ionizable lipid in the LNP-6 formulation. Through structural modification, it exhibits reduced binding to ApoE proteins and lowered liver affinity compared to traditional ionizable lipids. Instead, Lipid 10a-26 demonstrates strong splenic tropism—in non-human primate studies, it effectively delivers payloads to the spleen and immune cells in peripheral blood, such as T cells, NK cells, and macrophages, enabling the possibility of "in vivo CAR-T" therapy. Its pKa is tuned to approximately 6.0–6.5, allowing rapid protonation in the acidic endosomal environment, which promotes endosomal membrane disruption and efficient cytosolic release of circular RNA. More description
DC67109	Fluorescent SM-102 (NBD-SM-102) Featured	Fluorescent SM-102 (NBD-SM-102) is a premium, dye-conjugated ionizable cationic lipid designed for advanced nanomedicine and mRNA delivery research. By covalently integrating a bright, green-fluorescent nitrobenzofurazan (NBD) probe into the industry-standard SM-102 skeleton, this high-purity reagent operates as an indispensable visual tracer. It empowers researchers to seamlessly track cellular uptake, monitor tissue biodistribution, and quantify endosomal escape efficiencies via fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Crucially, this NBD-SM-102 derivative preserves the native ionizable property (\(pK_a \approx 6.68\)) and optimal membrane-fusion dynamics required for lipid nanoparticle (LNP) assembly and transfection, ensuring experimental formulations accurately mimic functional delivery vectors. This reliable reagent is ideal for accelerating lipid-mix optimization, high-throughput screening, and nucleic acid therapeutics development pipeline. More description
DC68205	CA-20 Featured	CA-20 is a bile acid-derived sterol designed to replace cholesterol in mRNA LNPs. It achieves high mRNA encapsulation efficiency up to 87.4% and forms uniform, spherical nanoparticles with ordered membrane structures confirmed by cryo-TEM and MD simulations. In vivo, CA-20 drastically cuts hepatic mRNA expression while shifting nearly all gene expression to the spleen, driven by reduced ApoE protein binding on LNP surfaces. Using HA mRNA vaccines, CA-20 LNPs trigger stronger antigen-specific IgG, neutralizing antibodies, memory B cells and IFN-γ-secreting T cells than cholesterol LNPs. Acute safety tests prove CA-20 causes minimal liver damage, with normal serum liver enzymes and intact organ histology, delivering balanced superior immunogenicity and low liver toxicity for spleen-targeted mRNA vaccine delivery. More description
DC60564	Lipid GVS-18-B6 Featured	GVS-18-B6 is a silicon ether-based ionizable lipid (pKa:6.15) developed by Genevant, optimized for mRNA-LNP delivery, characterized by a short-chain trialkyl structure with three C10 alkyl chains (including a cis double bond) and a dimethylamino (DMA) head group linked via a 4-carbon spacer (pKa ~6.15). Its LNP formulations exhibit a narrow particle size distribution (89 nm, PDI=0.06), high mRNA encapsulation efficiency (90%), and pH-dependent surface charge (−0.11 mV at pH 7.5 vs. +2.69 mV at pH 5.5), facilitating endosomal escape. In vivo, GVS-18-B6 demonstrated superior liver-specific mRNA expression (5.30×10⁷ pg EGFP/g liver, 2.6× higher than MC3) with minimal spleen accumulation (liver/spleen ratio 92:1 vs. MC3’s 10:1), attributed to rapid non-enzymatic hydrolysis of its silicon ether bonds. This mechanism enables near-complete hepatic clearance within 6 hours in mice and 24 hours in NHPs, avoiding long-term organ retention (MC3 retained 25% in liver after 28 days). Compared to benchmarks (MC3, SM-102, LP-01), GVS-18-B6 showed enhanced potency in RBC hemolysis assays (pH 6.2), indicating earlier endosomal membrane disruption, and maintained stability through 12-month frozen storage or repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Toxicity profiling revealed minimal immunogenicity (MCP-1 levels 0.58×10⁶ vs. MC3’s 1.10×10⁶) and no ALT/AST elevation or anti-PEG antibody induction in NHPs after repeated dosing. Its species-agnostic clearance, low off-target effects, and high tolerability (6 mg/kg dose in mice) position GVS-18-B6 as a leading candidate for chronic disease therapies requiring frequent mRNA administration. More description
DC67540	Lipid A5-CE-C7-6(3 tail) Featured	A5-CE-C7-6 (3-tail analog) is a structural control compound derived from the standard 2-tail lipid(A5-CE-C7-6), with three carbonate alkyl chains linked to the A5 amine core. More description
DC60947	Lilly lipid 51 Featured	Lipid 51 is a top-performing thioglycerol-based biodegradable ionizable lipid disclosed in PCT patent WO2026/147683 (Eli Lilly, filed Dec 16, 2025). Built with cleavable thioester linkages, it balances neutral surface charge at physiological pH and protonatable amines in acidic endosomes for efficient mRNA encapsulation and endosomal escape. Formulated into LNPs with DSPC, cholesterol and DMG-PEG2K, it exhibits favorable particle size, low PDI and high RNA loading efficiency. In intracerebroventricular (ICV) mouse tests targeting central nervous system (CNS), it delivers Cre mRNA to brain neurons far more potently than Lipid 1/2/3, with the highest tissue fluorescent signal among all tested candidates. It shows low cellular toxicity in vitro and robust CNS tropism, making it an optimal carrier for brain-targeted mRNA and CRISPR gene editing therapeutics. More description
DC67568	ORNA Lipid AX-6 Featured	AX6 is an ionizable lipid in the F32 LNP formulation, engineered by ReNAgade/Orna Therapeutics for targeted mRNA delivery to T cells. AX-6's unique bridged bicyclic/polycyclic core with a tertiary amine group enables pH-dependent protonation and endosomal escape, while C14-C18 hydrophobic tails (optionally branched/fluorinated) enhance bilayer stability and mRNA encapsulation. Demonstrating exceptional T-cell tropism, AX6 achieves high transfection efficiency in CD4+/CD8+ T cells (validated in NHP/humanized models) with minimal toxicity. Compared to clinical benchmarks (SM-102, ALC-0315), its rigid core offers superior serum stability and immune-cell specificity, positioning it as an ideal candidate for CAR-T/NK therapies and next-gen vaccines. The F32 LNP system's proven efficacy (e.g., in vivo B-cell depletion) underscores AX 6's transformative potential for cell engineering and immunotherapies. More description
DC65619	Lipid 11-A-M Featured	Lipid 11-A-M (LNP Lipid-8) is a specialized single-tail, multi-head ionizable cationic lipid engineered for targeted nucleic acid delivery to T cells. Unlike traditional lipids that exhibit strong liver tropism, 11-A-M formulations successfully bypass hepatocytes, resulting in negligible liver accumulation and toxicity. Upon intravenous administration, it naturally localizes to peripheral immune organs, enabling robust gene silencing and transfection specifically within splenic CD3⁺ T cells, with a higher efficiency in CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells over CD4⁺ helper T cells. This liver-evading, T cell-specific targeting profile makes it a premier tool for in vivo immunotherapy and in situ cell reprogramming. More description
DC85555	YK-009 Featured	YK-009 is an advanced, biodegradable ionizable lipid designed for efficient mRNA delivery. Via intramuscular injection, it demonstrates superior targeting to draining lymph nodes, boosting immune cell transfection for vaccines. When administered intravenously, it distributes to the liver but leverages a highly degradable chemical backbone to ensure rapid clearance post-endosomal escape. This effectively eliminates the risk of long-term tissue accumulation and liver toxicity seen in traditional lipids. Delivering a balance of high transfection efficiency and exceptional biocompatibility, YK-009 is an ideal component for safe and potent lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations. More description
DC60575	U-101 Featured	U-101 is an ionizable lipid for mRNA delivery. U101-LNP/IL-2F mRNA formulation demonstrats effective antitumor activity and safety.LNPs containing lipid U 101 and encapsulating mRNA encoding a fusion protein composed of IL-2, a linker, and CD25 inhibit tumor growth in an MC-38 mouse xenograft model. More description
DC60485	IAJD93 Featured	IAJD93(IAJD-93) is a pentaerythritol-based one-component ionizable amphiphilic Janus Dendrimer (IAJD), delivery systems for mRNA delivery. More description
DC68161	AKG-UO-1 Featured	AKG-UO-1 is an innovative ionizable lipid engineered for targeted nucleic acid delivery, exhibiting exceptional hepatic tropism and a high affinity for metabolically active tissues. Leveraging an alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG)-inspired design, it capitalizes on the liver’s high metabolic demand to achieve precise parenchymal accumulation via systemic injection. Crucially, AKG-UO-1 selectively homing into diseased or lipid-accumulated microenvironments, where it enhances endosomal escape and mRNA translation. Its unique degradation pathway actively synergizes with host cells to alleviate metabolic stress and maintain mitochondrial homeostasis, making it an ideal candidate for treating metabolic liver diseases and fatty liver disorders. More description
DC68162	HGT5001 Featured	HGT5001, disclosed in patent US 2026/0125339 A1 by Translate Bio (now part of Sanofi), is a potent ionizable cationic lipid optimized for mRNA delivery, exhibiting versatile organ tropism governed by the route of administration. When delivered via intratracheal or pulmonary administration, it effectively crosses the mucosal barrier to achieve high transfection efficiency specifically within lung tissues. Conversely, intravenous injection redirects its tropism to the liver and spleen via endogenous ApoE mediation, facilitating systemic protein replacement therapies. Engineered with an optimized headgroup, HGT5001 ensures excellent encapsulation, rapid pH-responsive endosomal escape, and superior biocompatibility with minimal systemic toxicity, making it an exceptional candidate for cystic fibrosis therapies and hepatic treatments. More description
DC60489	LIPID 331 Featured	Lipid 331 is a biodegradable cyclic ionizable lipid. LNPs containing Lipid 331 result in robust transfection in the nasal and lung tissues of mice and efficient transfection of lung epithelial cells and lung-resident APCs. Lipid 331 is a promising candidate for mRNA vaccine delivery, offering the potential for further enhancing the potency of mRNA vaccines. More description
DC60545	200Oi10 Featured	200Oi10 is a highly potent, biodegradable ionizable lipidoid optimized for targeted mRNA delivery, with its organ tropism dynamic to the route of administration. Under intravenous injection, it demonstrates an extraordinary 97.7% liver specificity mediated by endogenous ApoE binding. Strikingly, shifting to intraperitoneal injection redirects its tropism, yielding up to 46.4% pancreatic targeting, which can be further boosted when co-formulated with DOTAP. Featuring ester-conjugated cleavable tails, 200Oi10 guarantees rapid metabolic clearance and negligible tissue accumulation toxicity, making it an exceptional candidate for localized pancreatic therapy and efficient hepatic gene delivery. More description
DC67988	KT-001 Featured	KT-001 is a novel ionizable cationic lipid developed by Vivas, Inc., disclosed in US 2026/0007612 A1 (published Jan 8, 2026).KT-001 demonstrates exceptional skeletal muscle targeting and low liver toxicity.Unlike traditional lipids that primarily accumulate in the liver, KT-001 avoids serum ApoE binding, preventing hepatic uptake. Upon intramuscular injection, it achieves a 29-fold reduction in liver off-target expression compared to standard lipids, while maintaining robust, long-lasting protein expression at the injection site.Its optimized pKa enables precise, pH-responsive endosomal escape for high transfection efficiency. KT-001 is an ideal carrier for localized mRNA vaccines and targeted therapeutics for muscle-related disorders. More description
DC82105	93-O17O Featured	93-O17O is a chalcogen-containing ionizable cationic lipidoid. It has been used in the generation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). LNPs containing 93-O17O localize to the spleen after intravenous injection into mice.LNPs containing 93-O17O have been used for the delivery of Cre recombinase and ribonucleoproteins for genome editing in mice and for the intratumoral delivery of cGAMP to enhance cross-presentation of tumor antigens. More description
DC67570	Generation Lipid 87 Featured	Lipid 87 is a proprietary ionizable lipid developed by Generation Bio. Used as a key ingredient in stealth LNPs, it greatly prolongs blood circulation time, maintains high nucleic acid encapsulation efficiency and low cytotoxicity, and enables effective liver targeting. Its relevant applications are documented in PCT patent WO2026/080826A1. As a core component (47.5–57.5 mol%) of stealth lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), it works synergistically with steric-stabilizing polymers like DSG-PEG₂₀₀₀-OMe to extend the in vivo blood half-life of LNPs to over 24 hours (compared to merely 30 minutes of conventional LNPs). It achieves an encapsulation efficiency above 95% for mRNA and closed-ended DNA (ceDNA), exhibits low cytotoxicity with an IC₅ value greater than 100 μM, and delivers robust liver-targeting performance, obtaining over 80% hepatocyte transfection at a dosage of 0.5 mpk. In preclinical models of hemophilia B, LNPs formulated with Lipid 87 can restore around 40% of clotting factor IX (FIX) activity for more than seven days. More description
DC47162	10-Nitrooleic acid Featured	10-Nitrooleic acid (CXA-10), a nitro fatty acid, has potential effects in disease states in which oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and/or direct tissue toxicity play significant roles. More description
DC77017	9(10)-Nitrooleate Featured	9(10)-Nitrooleate（NOA）is an endogenous nitrated fatty acid that functions as a highly efficient bioactive molecule. Its primary role is the specific inhibition of the STING protein, a key inflammatory signaling sensor within cells. When STING is aberrantly activated, it can trigger a severe inflammatory response, leading to cellular damage.Mechanistically, NOA acts as an electrophile, capable of covalently modifying specific cysteine residues on the STING protein, thereby effectively blocking its ability to activate downstream signaling pathways. This inhibitory action establishes NOA as a potent endogenous anti-inflammatory agent. In practical application, loading NOA into delivery systems, such as lipid nanoparticles, equips them with an intrinsic "molecular fire extinguisher." It significantly mitigates the acute inflammatory response triggered by delivered cargo, effectively transforming otherwise toxic delivery vehicles into safe platforms. The core value of NOA lies in its ability to provide exceptional safety without compromising the functional expression of therapeutic payloads, offering a crucial safeguard for achieving long-term treatments. More description
DC60940	6A1-SC8 Featured	6A1‑SC8 is a biodegradable ionizable lipid developed for LNP-based nucleic acid delivery. With multi-tertiary amine core enabling optimal endosomal escape and built-in hydrolyzable ester linkages for in vivo metabolic clearance, it efficiently encapsulates mRNA, sgRNA and gene-editing payloads. When blended with helper lipids or modified via the SORT strategy with cationic additives like DOTAP, it generates organ-targeted LNPs ranging from liver to cardiac tropism, widely applied in preclinical gene therapy, in vivo CAR‑T and rare disease therapeutic research. More description

Cationic/Ionizable Lipids

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