nor-MC3

nor-MC3 is an ionizable cationic lipid closely related to DLin-MC3-DMA. It carries the same 4-(dimethylamino)butanoate head group, with C17 chains in place of MC3's C18 linoleyl chains. Those chains are built from methyl linoleate, a commodity feedstock, by a shorter and more straightforward route than MC3's synthesis requires. Published work reports nor-MC3 to be at least as effective as MC3 in nucleic acid delivery. Invented by Peak co-founder Dr. Marco Ciufolini. For research use only — not for human or veterinary use.

nor-MC3 is used in the same work MC3 is used for: siRNA and mRNA LNP formulation, hepatic delivery studies, and screening against benchmark ionizable lipids. In the published comparison it matched or exceeded MC3 on mRNA transfection, with siRNA potency in the same range. Its practical advantage is manufacturability: a simpler synthesis with fewer steps to control means material can be made consistently, and scaled from screening quantities to formulation batches without the constraints MC3's route imposes.