The Non-Viral Delivery Surge: LNPs, Extracellular Vesicles & the Emerging Pipeline in Cell & Gene Therapy

Written By Caoimhe Nic An tSaoir

What recent signals indicate

Each year, the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting provides one of the clearest forward signals of where innovation is heading in CGT. With thousands of abstracts spanning academic, preclinical, and translational work, it acts as a near real-time readout of what platforms, targets, and tools are capturing attention and investment.

In April, we flagged a sharp uptick in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) interest across the 2025 abstract preview. Now, in the wake of Eli Lilly’s $1.3 B acquisition of Verve Therapeutics, that trend is no longer just academic. Verve’s GalNAc-functionalised LNP platform for in-vivo base editing offers a concrete signal that non-viral delivery is maturing into the clinic.

To be clear: many of these programs remain early-stage. It’s far from certain that in-vivo gene editing or exosome therapeutics will become the dominant modalities. But what’s emerging is a persistent and distinct trend line: away from viral vectors, and toward programmable, scalable, and re-doseable delivery platforms.

This post offers a tactical recap, from the data to the deals, and highlights what CGT tech providers should be doing now to stay ahead.

What’s Emerging? Key Technical Trends

From in-vivo CAR-T therapies to prenatal gene editing and designer extracellular vesicles, the technical conversation is evolving fast. This year’s standout sessions point to a distinct pivot: CGT developers are increasingly pursuing delivery systems that are programmable, re-doseable, and capable of bypassing traditional manufacturing bottlenecks. Each modality has different CMC and clinical implications, but all push the field closer to de-centralized, patient-centric models.

  • In-vivo CAR-T via targeted LNPs
    Bypasses costly and logistically complex ex-vivo manufacturing and enables re-dosing potential.
    Talk highlight: “Cell-targeted LNP‑based CAR‑T Therapy for B‑cell Malignancies”

  • Prenatal gene editing using LNPs
    Uses LNPs to treat congenital disease in utero, pushing boundaries of delivery and ethics.
    Talk highlight: “LNP‑Based Delivery Systems for Prenatal Applications & Ethical Considerations”

  • Designer extracellular vesicles (EVs)
    Natural bio-distribution with tunable tropism; lower immunogenicity profile than synthetic carriers.
    Talk highlight: “Scalable Manufacturing of MSC‑Derived EVs for Oncology”

Figure 1 | From syringe to hepatocyte in one step.
A single intravenous dose of ionizable-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) delivers base-editing RNA directly to the liver, bypassing ex-vivo manipulation and shortening the therapeutic chain to needle-to-target.

Real-World Momentum via Deal Flow

Non-viral delivery platforms are no longer just for fringe programs. In the month following ASGCT, major deals and facility announcements like Lilly’s $1.3B buyout of Verve and BASF’s new excipient hub, reinforce the commercial weight behind this trend. From big pharma acquisitions to upstream investment in GMP infrastructure, the ecosystem is visibly recalibrating to support non-viral modalities.

Tactics for Enabling Technology Providers

For tech providers in analytics, mixing, excipients, or cleanroom design, the message is clear: adapt now to serve the next generation of therapies. Tactical moves like securing GMP lipids, modularizing mixing systems, or redesigning lipid analytics aren’t speculative, they’re prerequisites for relevance. Lonrú’s VantagePoint dashboards help prioritize what matters by product class and market stage.

How Lonrú Consulting Can Help

Lonrú helps enabling tech companies make strategic sense of CGT market shifts. Whether you're refining your value proposition, identifying high-fit partners, or plotting entry into the non-viral delivery space, we deliver clarity and actionability. Our approach blends market intelligence with customized partner strategy and commercial mapping ensuring you don't just track trends, you lead them.

  • Strategy Depth: We don’t just summarize the buzz, we decode its strategic consequences. Our VantagePoint™ Insights platform helps you see around corners.

  • Execution Alignment: Whether you’re building out your product roadmap or targeting new customers, we offer partner-mapping and strategy to align growth with opportunity.

  • Non‑Viral Commercial Strategy: If your technology enables non-viral therapeutic developers, we can help you map your market, position your offering, and sharpen your go-to-market plan.

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Caoimhe Nic An tSaoir
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From Bottleneck to Backbone: Building the U.S. “Interventional-Genetics Interstate”