Padilla Lab

Stanford University · Materials Science & Engineering · Sarafan ChEM-H

We’re writing the rules of RNA nanomedicine.

Turning nanoparticle design from trial-and-error into rational engineering — so that medicines reach exactly the cells that need them.

In the Padilla Lab, we work to uncover the structure–activity relationships that govern RNA nanotechnology, integrating rational synthesis, endosome biology, and high-resolution analytical and biophysical techniques in a single interdisciplinary effort. We apply these principles across a range of therapeutic challenges, including immuno-oncology, oral diseases, protein delivery, crossing the blood–brain barrier, and gene editing.

The lab opens at Stanford University in March 2027, and we are recruiting our founding team of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers. If you want to help build a new lab from day one, see how to join.

Three-dimensional electron-density reconstruction of an mRNA lipid nanoparticle from small-angle X-ray scattering. Adapted from Padilla et al., Nature Biotechnology (2025).

Cryo-TEM of a lipid nanoparticle co-encapsulating mRNA and a small-molecule chemotherapeutic

Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy image of a lipid nanoparticle co-encapsulating mRNA and a small-molecule chemotherapeutic. Adapted from Padilla et al., Advanced Materials (2026).

Snapshot from an atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of a BEND lipid entering an endosomal bilayer. Adapted from Padilla et al., Nature Communications (2025).

selected publications

Adv. Mater.

Research Article

Lipid nanoparticle co-delivery of mRNA and a small molecule drug for oral cancer chemoimmunotherapy

Marshall S. Padilla, Jacqueline J. Li, Qunzhou Zhang, Korey Patwari, Shihong Shi, Hannah M. Yamagata, Ryann A. Joseph, Briyanna N. Hymms, Sridatta V. Teerdhala, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Drew Weissman, Anh D. Le, and Michael J. Mitchell

Advanced Materials, 2026

@article{padilla2026oral,
  article_type = {Research Article},
  title = {Lipid nanoparticle co-delivery of mRNA and a small molecule drug for oral cancer chemoimmunotherapy},
  author = {Padilla, Marshall S. and Li, Jacqueline J. and Zhang, Qunzhou and Patwari, Korey and Shi, Shihong and Yamagata, Hannah M. and Joseph, Ryann A. and Hymms, Briyanna N. and Teerdhala, Sridatta V. and Alameh, Mohamad-Gabriel and Weissman, Drew and Le, Anh D. and Mitchell, Michael J.},
  journal = {Advanced Materials},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/adma.73721}
}

Nat. Commun.

Research Article

Branched endosomal disruptor (BEND) lipids mediate delivery of mRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex for hepatic gene editing and T cell engineering

Marshall S. Padilla, Kaitlin Mrksich, Yiming Wang, Rebecca M. Haley, Jacqueline J. Li, Emily L. Han, Rakan El-Mayta, Emily H. Kim, Sofia Dias, Ningqiang Gong, Sridatta V. Teerdhala, Xuexiang Han, Vivek Chowdhary, Lulu Xue, Zain Siddiqui, Hannah M. Yamagata, Dongyoon Kim, Il-Chul Yoon, James M. Wilson, Ravi Radhakrishnan, and Michael J. Mitchell

Nature Communications, 2025

@article{padilla2025bend,
  article_type = {Research Article},
  title = {Branched endosomal disruptor (BEND) lipids mediate delivery of mRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex for hepatic gene editing and T cell engineering},
  author = {Padilla, Marshall S. and Mrksich, Kaitlin and Wang, Yiming and Haley, Rebecca M. and Li, Jacqueline J. and Han, Emily L. and El-Mayta, Rakan and Kim, Emily H. and Dias, Sofia and Gong, Ningqiang and Teerdhala, Sridatta V. and Han, Xuexiang and Chowdhary, Vivek and Xue, Lulu and Siddiqui, Zain and Yamagata, Hannah M. and Kim, Dongyoon and Yoon, Il-Chul and Wilson, James M. and Radhakrishnan, Ravi and Mitchell, Michael J.},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  volume = {16},
  pages = {996},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-55137-6}
}

Nat. Biotechnol.

Research Article

Elucidating lipid nanoparticle properties and structure through biophysical analyses

Marshall S. Padilla, Sarah J. Shepherd, Andrew R. Hanna, Martin Kurnik, Xujun Zhang, Michelle Chen, James Byrnes, Ryann A. Joseph, Hannah M. Yamagata, Adele S. Ricciardi, Kaitlin Mrksich, David Issadore, Kushol Gupta, and Michael J. Mitchell

Nature Biotechnology, 2025

In press

@article{padilla2025biophysical,
  article_type = {Research Article},
  title = {Elucidating lipid nanoparticle properties and structure through biophysical analyses},
  author = {Padilla, Marshall S. and Shepherd, Sarah J. and Hanna, Andrew R. and Kurnik, Martin and Zhang, Xujun and Chen, Michelle and Byrnes, James and Joseph, Ryann A. and Yamagata, Hannah M. and Ricciardi, Adele S. and Mrksich, Kaitlin and Issadore, David and Gupta, Kushol and Mitchell, Michael J.},
  journal = {Nature Biotechnology},
  note = {In press},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1038/s41587-025-02855-x}
}

Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev.

Review

Breaking the final barrier: evolution of cationic and ionizable lipid structure in lipid nanoparticles to escape the endosome

Kaitlin* Mrksich, Marshall S.* Padilla, and Michael J. Mitchell

Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2024

@article{mrksich2024endosome,
  article_type = {Review},
  title = {Breaking the final barrier: evolution of cationic and ionizable lipid structure in lipid nanoparticles to escape the endosome},
  author = {Mrksich, Kaitlin and Padilla, Marshall S. and Mitchell, Michael J.},
  journal = {Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews},
  volume = {214},
  pages = {115446},
  year = {2024},
  doi = {10.1016/j.addr.2024.115446}
}