Therapeutic efficacy of sup-tRNA in CFTR-mutated human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells

Their clinical translation is limited by suboptimal activity and inefficient in vivo delivery. In this work, we combined site-specific chemical modification of sup-tRNAs with cargo-tailored pulmonary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) engineering to overcome these barriers.

Incorporation of N1-methyladenosine in sup-tRNAs improved PTC readthrough, enhanced tRNA aminoacylation, prolonged functional persistence, and reduced innate immune activation. High-throughput ionizable lipid screening and formulation optimization identified a sup-tRNA–tailored LNP that efficiently delivered chemically modified sup-tRNAs to the lung. This approach restored cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression and function in bronchial epithelial cells, mouse models, and patient-derived organoids.