Short and Scalable Synthesis of Plant‐Based Cholesterol in GMP Grade

Abstract

AbstractA plant‐based straightforward and short four‐step synthesis of cholesterol starting from commercially available diosgenin is reported. This offers a large‐scale production of highly needed GMP‐grade cholesterol, which is part of the lipid cocktail for the assembly of effective mRNA‐based vaccines against the COVID‐19 pandemic. These lipids are formulated into the delivery system of the mRNA fragments by forming Lipid Nano Particles (LNP) that introduce the mRNA into the cells. Cholesterol plays a crucial role because it stabilizes LNP and facilitates endosome escape of the mRNA into the cytosol.