Structure drawing coming soon
SM-102
SM-102 is an ionizable cationic lipid used in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations for mRNA delivery. Its structure comprises a tertiary amine bearing a hydroxyethyl substituent and two ester-linked lipid tails, one branched and one linear.
The amine remains predominantly neutral at physiological pH but becomes protonated under acidic conditions. This pH-dependent ionization supports efficient nucleic acid encapsulation during LNP formulation and promotes intracellular release following cellular uptake.
SM-102 is the ionizable lipid used in Moderna's COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and is widely recognized as a benchmark in mRNA–lipid nanoparticle (LNP) research. It is commonly used in mRNA vaccine development, the delivery of protein-replacement and gene-editing payloads, and comparative studies evaluating the performance of ionizable lipids.
Similar to ALC-0315, SM-102 contains saturated lipid tails, which makes it less susceptible to oxidative degradation along the hydrocarbon chains. As a result, the primary oxidative impurity of concern is the formation of the amine N-oxide rather than chain oxidation products. Each lot is supplied free of N-oxide impurities, as confirmed by LC–MS analysis.
- Formal name
- heptadecan-9-yl 8-[2-hydroxyethyl-(6-oxo-6-undecoxyhexyl)amino]octanoate
- CAS number
- 2089251-47-6
- Molecular formula
- C44H87NO5
- Formula weight
- 710.18 g/mol
- Purity
- ≥98% — confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and LC-MS. N-oxide free.
- SMILES
CCCCCCCCCCCOC(=O)CCCCCN(CCCCCCCC(=O)OC(CCCCCCCC)CCCCCCCC)CCO- Storage
- Store at −20 °C under inert atmosphere, protected from light.
Package size
Quantity
Request a QuoteFor research use only — not for human or veterinary use.
References
- Biodegradable Cationic and Ionizable Cationic Lipids: A Roadmap for Safer Pharmaceutical ExcipientsSmall · 2023
- Identifying Key Factors Affecting mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles Drug Product Formulation StabilityNanomaterials · 2026
- The impact of chemical reactivity on the quality and stability of RNA–LNP pharmaceuticalsNature Reviews Chemistry · 2025