Qian Qian NI

RNA Nanotechnology, Targeted Delivery and Cancer Immunotherapy
PhD – Nanjing University

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qianqian-ni-22449958/

SUMMARY

Dr. Qianqian Ni is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), and a Principal Scientist at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, Singapore. Prior to joining NUS, she received her postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA.

Dr. Ni's research focuses on developing innovative nanotechnologies for RNA therapeutics and immunoengineering, with particular emphasis on lipid nanoparticle and RNA delivery. Her research addresses fundamental challenges in RNA delivery, leading to the development of a portfolio of technologies for applications in cancer immunotherapy, gene editing, and regenerative medicine. By integrating molecular engineering, nanotechnology, and immunology, her research aims to advance next generation RNA therapeutics towards clinical translation.

Dr. Ni’s research has been published in leading scientific journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Reviews Chemistry, Nature Communications, and Advanced Materials, and has resulted in multiple patent applications covering innovative RNA delivery technologies. Dr. Ni has received several scientific awards, including the Rising Star Award from Emerging Delivery for Innovative Therapy (2026) and the Emerging Investigator Award from Biomaterials Science (2026).

KEY AWARDS & GRANTS

2026: Team PI, National Research Foundation (NRF) AI4S
2025: Lead PI, A*Star NATi N05
2025: PI, MOE AcRF Tier 2

RESEARCH

Our laboratory focuses on RNA nanotechnology to advance RNA therapeutics and cancer immunotherapy. A major direction of our research is the design and development of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for targeted and functional RNA delivery. We engineer innovative ionizable lipids and nanoparticle formulations to achieve efficient RNA delivery beyond the liver, particularly to immune cells and extrahepatic tissues. Our research also investigates the fundamental mechanisms governing nanoparticle biodistribution, protein corona formation, cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and endosomal escape. By elucidating the interactions between nanoparticles and biological systems, we aim to establish rational design principles for precise tissue and cell specific RNA delivery and intracellular protein production.

Building upon these RNA delivery platforms, we explore therapeutic strategies for in vivo immune cell engineering and cancer immunotherapy. Our research focuses on harnessing targeted RNA delivery to reprogram immune cells in the body, including the generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in vivo, as well as RNA-based cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory therapies. We also investigate the molecular and immunological mechanisms underlying therapeutic efficacy and toxicity, with the goal of advancing safer and more effective RNA based immunotherapies.

PUBLICATIONS

Rational design of rigid mRNA folding architecture to enhance intracellular processing and protein production.
Yang B, Li B, Zhu Y, Zhao M, Cheng Y, Zhao X, Deryn Teoh E, Zhang M, Tang X, Zhang X, Xue B, Yan J, Lin Z, Luo M, Yu H, Zhang L, Chen X, Ni Q.
Nature Nanotechnology, 21, 407-408 (2026). doi: 10.1038/s41565-025-02114-9

Antioxidant lipid nanoparticles enhance mRNA stability for regeneration therapy and gene editing.
Li B, Zhao M, Yang B, Yang T, Wang Y, Hu Y, Zhang M, Ge J, Tang X, Zhang Z, Cui H, Chen X, Yang Y Y, Peng L, Ni Q.
Nature Communications, 17, 7166 (2026). doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-73512-3
Precision chemical engineering of dendrimers for nucleic acid delivery.
Ni Q, Tomalia D, Wu J, Galanakou C, Peng L.
Nature Reviews Chemistry, 10, 620-636 (2026). doi: 10.1038/s41570-026-00855-2

STING‐Activating Polymers Boost Lymphatic Delivery of mRNA Vaccine to Potentiate Cancer Immunotherapy.
Zhang M, Wang Y, Li B, Yang B, Zhao M, Li B, Liu J, Hu Y, Wu Z, Ong Y, Han X, Ding L, Zhu K, Li J, Luo M, Chen S, Peng L, Zhang L, Chen X, Ni Q.
Advanced Materials, 37, 2412654 (2025). doi: 10.1002/adma.202412654
Advances and Strategies in Enhancing mRNA Cancer Vaccines.
Zhang M, Chen S, Hu H, Ong YH, Ni Q.
Advanced Materials, 37, e09880 (2025). doi: 10.1002/adma.202509880

Activatable NIR-II photothermal lipid nanoparticles for improved messenger RNA delivery.
Li B, Zhao M, Lai W, Zhang X, Yang B, Chen X, Ni Q.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 62, e202302676 (2023). doi: 10.1002/anie.202302676

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