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
DC67541	Yoltech lipid 4	Yoltech lipid 4, a highly efficient ionizable lipid disclosed in patent PCT/CN2023/116607, features a central tertiary amine group flanked by hydrophobic tails—specifically, a bis(2-ethylhexyl) core and a linoleyl (C18:2) chain linked via ester bonds. This structure enables pH-responsive behavior critical for mRNA/LNP delivery: neutral in circulation (reducing toxicity) but protonated in endosomes to facilitate membrane disruption and payload release. In murine studies targeting liver PCSK9, Compound 4 achieved ~90% gene-editing efficiency. Its optimized formulation yields LNPs of 70–150 nm with >90% encapsulation, ideal for hepatocyte-specific delivery. More description
DC67543	ATX L2	L2 is a redox-responsive lipid engineered for ultra-potent siRNA delivery. With shorter hexyl (C6) tails and a carbamate linker, it demonstrates the fastest biodegradation (liver half-life: 2.6 days) among tested lipids. L2 achieves >80% FVII gene knockdown at just 0.01 mg/kg—surpassing both L1 and MC3 in siRNA potency. Its higher apparent pKa (6.90) enhances endosomal disruption, correlating with strong in vitro hEPO expression. While slightly less effective for mRNA than L1, L2’s unmatched siRNA silencing efficiency, rapid cytosolic self-immolation, and low cytotoxicity position it as a leading candidate for RNAi therapeutics targeting hepatic diseases. More description
DC60860	L829	L829 is a novel ionizable cationic lipid specifically engineered for targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNPs) that enables efficient in vivo delivery of mRNA payloads to CD8+ T cells. Designed to overcome limitations of conventional LNPs, L829 significantly reduces off-target delivery to the liver and exhibits rapid clearance compared to benchmark lipids like ALC-0315, while demonstrating enhanced biodegradability and tolerability in rodent and primate models. When incorporated into CD8-targeted tLNPs, L829 enables preferential transfection of CD8+ T cells over other immune subsets, facilitating the generation of functional anti-CD19 or anti-CD20 CAR T cells directly in vivo. These tLNP-engineered CAR T cells mediate rapid, deep B-cell depletion in humanized mice and cynomolgus monkeys, with repopulating B cells exhibiting a naïve phenotype suggestive of immune reset. By eliminating the need for ex vivo manufacturing or lymphodepleting chemotherapy, the L829-tLNP platform represents a safer, scalable approach for accessible CAR T therapy in oncology and autoimmune diseases. More description
DC60502	GalNAc Lipid GL6(GalNAc Lipid 1004) Featured	GL6 is a trivalent GalNAc-lipid conjugate designed for ASGPR-mediated hepatic delivery. It features a lysine-based scaffold covalently linked to three GalNAc moieties via a 36-unit PEG spacer, anchored by a 1,2-O-dioctadecyl-sn-glyceryl (DSG) lipid tail. This structure balances ligand accessibility (via optimized PEG length) and nanoparticle stability (via hydrophobic DSG anchoring). Compared to GL3 (TRIS scaffold, same PEG length), GL6’s simplified lysine scaffold improves manufacturability. In LDLR-deficient models, GL6 enabled 61% liver editing (vs. 5% with standard LNPs) at 2 mg/kg, demonstrating superior ASGPR targeting. Its design minimizes ligand crowding (0.05 mol% surface density) while maximizing endosomal escape and durable gene editing. More description
DC67551	Lipid CDL9	CDL9 is an original cyclic disulfide lipid first designed, synthesized, and functionally validated in the study "In Vivo Demonstration of Enhanced mRNA Delivery by Cyclic Disulfide-Containing Lipid Nanoparticles for Facilitating Endosomal Escape" published in RSC Medicinal Chemistry (DOI: 10.1039/D5MD00084J).Its molecular architecture—featuring a C18:2 di-unsaturated alkyl chain linked to a tertiary amine headgroup modified with an α-lipoic acid-derived cyclic disulfide unit—was explicitly detailed in the paper's lipid library. Experimental data from this study demonstrated CDL9’s capacity to boost mRNA delivery efficiency by 6-fold in vitro and 5-fold in vivo when integrated into SM102-based LNPs, leveraging thiol-disulfide exchange for enhanced endosomal escape. More description
DC67552	MeTis Lipid 5	MeTis Lipid 5 is an ionizable lipid featuring a pyrazole-based headgroup and biodegradable C8-ester twin tails developed by MeTis Pharmaceuticals (Patent CN118290339B). It demonstrated breakthrough in vivo efficacy (7.08E+10 photons, luciferase assay), surpassing MC3 lipid by 8.8-fold in systemic mRNA delivery. The molecule achieves optimal safety-profile (96.4% cell viability) and encapsulation efficiency (96.4%), forming LNPs of 108.9 nm (PDI 0.17) at N/P 6. Its ester-enabled rapid metabolization and balanced hydrophobicity position lipid 5 as a candidate for next-gen mRNA therapeutics. More description
DC67409	Galnac Lipid 83 Featured	Galnac Lipid 83 is developed by Prime Medicine Patent: WO2024220807.Galnac Lipid 83 83 is a GalNAc-conjugated lipid designed for targeted liver delivery. It features a triantennary GalNAc ligand linked via a PEG spacer (e.g., -(CH2CH2O)n-) to a branched hydrophobic tail (C18 alkyl chains). The structure includes amide/ester bonds for stability and a stereospecific configuration (R/S) to optimize ASGPR receptor binding. Integrated into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), it enhances hepatic uptake of nucleic acids (e.g., mRNA, gene editors) by leveraging ASGPR-mediated endocytosis. Its design balances hydrophilicity (PEG) and lipophilicity (alkyl chains) for efficient encapsulation and in vivo delivery, supporting therapeutic applications in liver-specific gene editing or RNA therapies. More description
DC67554	MeTis Lipid 1	MeTis Lipid 1 is an ionizable lipid featuring a pentacyclic core with geminal dimethyl groups and symmetrical C9 alkyl chains developed by Metis Pharm. According to Patent WO 2025/140421 A1, Lipid 1 demonstrated exceptional biological performance including: the highest SARS-CoV-2 neutralization titer (NT50 1:2146, 5.7-fold higher than ALC0315), potent humoral immunity with COVID-19 IgG titers reaching 1:1,000,000 post-boost and exclusive validation for VZV-gE IgG (1:1,000,000), favorable biophysical properties (124.5 nm LNP diameter, 0.2 PDI, 85% encapsulation efficiency), and excellent safety profile (hERG IC₅₀ >30 μM, Mini-Ames negative), establishing it as the lead compound in nucleic acid vaccine delivery. More description
DC67408	Galnac Lipid 29 Featured	Galnac Lipid 29 is from Prime Medicine Patent: WO2024220807. Compound 29 is a GalNAc-functionalized lipid featuring a tripartite structure: an N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) targeting moiety for ASGPR-mediated liver uptake, a flexible PEG-based linker (e.g., ethylene glycol repeats), and dual C18 alkyl chains for lipid nanoparticle (LNP) integration. Its design includes stereospecific amide/urethane bonds (R/S configurations) to optimize stability and ligand orientation. Preclinical data demonstrate enhanced prime editing efficiency (>2-fold vs controls) in hepatocytes at low doses, attributed to improved endosomal escape and payload release. The compound enables liver-specific delivery of CRISPR systems while minimizing off-target accumulation, with <5% activity in non-hepatic cells. More description
DC67557	Tidal Lipid 40	Tidal Lipid 40is an ionizable cationic lipid engineered to deliver RNA with high precision to immune cells like macrophages. Based on Tidal Therapeutics' patent US 20250205169A1, Its pH-responsive design shifts from a +8 mV charge at pH 5.5 (enabling endosomal escape) to near-neutral at pH 7.4 (reducing off -target binding), ensuring efficient intracellular release while maintaining blood stability. In lipid nanoparticles, Lipid 40 achieves 65% transfection efficiency in human macrophages—surpassing benchmarks like ALC-0315—and protects >95% of RNA payloads from degradation. Critically, it maintains particle integrity after freeze-thaw cycles with minimal size drift (<5 nm) and excels in in vivo targeting, driving potent gene expression in tumor-associated macrophages while avoiding liver/spleen accumulation. This combination of precision delivery, stability, and low toxicity makes it ideal for immunotherapies, such as reprogramming M2 macrophages to anti-tumor M1 states. More description
DC67563	S-Ac7-DOg Featured	S-Ac7-DOg is an ionizable lipid engineered for optimized mRNA delivery to the retina, featuring a sulfur-based ester bond (S-Ac) and dual oleyl glyceride chains (DOg). Its pKa (~6.74) is finely tuned to enhance endosomal escape in acidic environments, enabling efficient cytosolic mRNA release. Unlike traditional lipids (e.g., C12-200, MC3), S-Ac7-DOg incorporates biodegradable ester linkages that hydrolyze intracellularly, minimizing lipid accumulation and reducing innate immune activation. In vitro, S-Ac7-DOg LNPs achieved >80% transfection efficiency in retinal cells (ARPE-19, MIO-M1) with negligible cytokine secretion, outperforming MC3 and rivaling C12-200 while avoiding the latter’s high immunogenicity. In vivo, intravitreal delivery in mice showed robust protein expression in the optic nerve head (ONH) and Müller glia (75–100% of eyes), sustained for ≥7 days. Critically, it induced the lowest immunogenicity among tested lipids: minimal leukocyte infiltration (<1.5-fold vs. PBS), no microglial reactivity, and reduced GFAP upregulation. More description
DC67566	CureVac Lipid C24(CVL1,VitE-C4DE-Pip- S)	CVL1 (C24) is an ionizable lipid developed by CureVac for mRNA delivery, featuring a vitamin E (α-tocopherol) core linked via a thioether bridge to piperidine-based cationic headgroups. Its unique design enables pH-dependent charge switching (neutral at physiological pH, cationic in endosomes) for efficient mRNA encapsulation and endosomal escape. Formulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with DPhyPS and PMOZ4, CVL1 preferentially targets spleen and lymph node dendritic cells (DCs), enhancing antigen presentation and T-cell immunity. Key advantages include high mRNA encapsulation (>90%), stability under lyophilization, and reduced liver accumulation compared to PEGylated LNPs. In preclinical studies, CVL1-based LNPs induced robust CD8+/CD4+ T-cell responses and IgG2a-dominant antibody titers against tumor antigens (e.g., Trp2). With a particle size of 70–120 nm and low polydispersity (PDI <0.2), CVL1 balances delivery efficiency and biocompatibility, making it ideal for cancer and infectious disease vaccines requiring strong cellular immunity. Its degradable ester and thioether bonds further improve safety profiles. More description
DC67570	Generation Lipid 87 Featured	Lipid-87 is an ionizable lipid developed by Generation Bio, characterized by its tertiary amine group for pH-dependent protonation and dual C16/C17 aliphatic chains that enhance hydrophobic stability.As the core component (47.5–57.5 mol%) of stealth lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), Lipid87 enables extended blood circulation (>24-hour half-life vs. 30 min for conventional LNPs) by synergizing with steric-stabilizing polymers (e.g., DSG-PEG₂₀₀₀-OMe), achieves >95% encapsulation efficiency for mRNA/ceDNA with low cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ >100 μM), and drives liver-specific targeting (>80% hepatocyte transfection at 0.5 mpk), effectively restoring 40% FIX activity in hemophilia B models for over 7 days. More description
DC49237	DODAP hydrochloride	DODAP (hydrochloride) is an ionizable lipid. DODAP (hydrochloride) has the potential for the research of gene delivery. More description
DC60671	THP1	THP1 is a tetrahydropyrimidine ionizable lipid for mRNA delivery. THP1 demonstrates higher transfection efficiency comparable to DLin-MC3-DMA (MC3). THP1 LNPs also demonstrates the ability to edit genes in specific liver tissues in a tdTomato transgenic mouse model. More description
DC60619	12T-O14	12T-O14 is a amidine-incorporated degradable (AID) lipid for versatile mRNA delivery. 12T-O14-LNPs mediate efficient intramuscular delivery of mRNA vaccines and systemic delivery of mRNA therapeutics without noticeable toxicity. 12T-O14 serves as a superior supplementary lipid to redirect liver-tropic LNPs to selectively target the lung or spleen via simple adjustment of the formulation. More description
DC89031	SM-102 IMPURITY 2	SM-102 N-oxide is potential impurity in commercial preparations of SM-102. More description
DC65619	Lipid 11-A-M Featured	LNP Lipid-8 (11-A-M) is an ionizable lipid, which can be used for lipid nanoparticles (LNP) to deliver siRNA to T cells without targeting to ligands. LNP LIPs-8 loaded with GFP siRNA (siGFP), and significantly causes GFP gene silencing in mice model. More description
DC67118	PNI 132 Featured	PNI 132, an ionizable lipid derived from the patent WO2020252589A developed by Precision Nanosystem, is useful in the formulation of lipid nanoparticles. More description
DC60352	DDAB	More description
DC60213	DOTMA Featured	N-[1-(2,3-Dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium (DOTMA) is a cationic lipid.It has been used as a component in liposomes that can be used to encapsulate siRNA, microRNAs, and oligonucleotides and for gene transfection in vitro. More description
DC33635	DODAP Featured	DODAP, also known as 1,2-Dioleoyl-3-dimethylammonium-propane, is a cationic lipid. It has been used as a component in liposomes that can be used to encapsulate siRNA, immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotides, antisense oligonucleotides, or chemotherapeutic agents for in vitro and in vivo delivery. More description
DC33636	DOTAP Featured	DOTAP, also known as 1,2-Dioleoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane, is a cationic liposome-forming compound used for transfection of DNA, RNA, and other negatively charged molecules into eukaryotic cells. It has been used in gene delivery vectors for gene ther More description
DC33580	DODMA Featured	DODMA, also known as MBN 305A is a a cationic lipid containing the unsaturated long-chain (18:1) oleic acid inserted at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions. It has been used in the composition of lipospomes formulated as stable nucleic acid lipid particles that can encapsulate siRNA or other small molecules to be used for drug delivery More description
DC65362	BP Lipid 114 Featured	BP Lipid 114 is a well-designed ionizable lipid optimized for mRNA encapsulation and delivery. Its ethanolamine headgroup, ester bonds at the C6 and C8 positions, and 9-carbon tail contribute to efficient mRNA complexation, stability during delivery, and improved biodegradability. These properties make it a valuable component in LNPs for gene therapy and other mRNA-based therapeutic applications. More description
DC65390	BP Lipid 135 Featured	BP Lipid 135 is a well-designed ionizable lipid optimized for mRNA encapsulation and delivery. Its propanolamine headgroup, ester bonds at the C8 position, and 9-carbon tail contribute to efficient mRNA complexation, stability during delivery, and improved biodegradability. These properties make it a valuable component in LNPs for gene therapy and other mRNA-based therapeutic applications. More description
DC82301	IC-8 Featured	IC8 is an ionizable cationic lipid. It has been used in combination with other lipids for the formation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Immunization with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein mRNA in IC8- and manganese-containing LNPs induces IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants in mice.1 Administration of mRNA encoding B7-H3 X CD3 bispecific T cell engaging (BiTE) antibodies in IC8-containing LNPs reduces tumor growth in MV4-11 and A375 mouse xenograft models. More description
DC80070	A2-Iso5-2DC18 Featured	A2-Iso5-2DC18 is a top-performing lipid for mRNA delivery in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), BMDMs and HeLa cells. More description
DC86120	LIPID 10 Featured	Lipid 10 is a novel ionizable cationic lipid be used for delivery of therapeutic RNA to the Bone Marrow in Multiple Myeloma Using CD38-Targeted with Lipid 10-LNP. More description
DC60215	Moderna Lipid 29 Featured	Lipid 29 is an ionizable amino lipid (pKa = 6.91) from Moderna platform that has been used in combination with other lipids in the formation of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).Administration of human erythropoietin (EPO) mRNA in lipid 29-containing LNPs increases serum EPO levels in mice. More description

Cationic/Ionizable Lipids

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