Liposomes, small spherical lipid vesicles with a bi-layered membrane, are widely utilized in pharmaceutical formulations to:
- Encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic therapeutic agents with high efficiency
- Protect the encapsulated drugs from undesirable effects from external conditions
- Functionalize certain ligands that target specific cells, tissues, and organs of interest
- Be coated with inert and biocompatible polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), prolonging the liposome circulation half-life in vivo
- Develop nanoparticle liposomal formulations with the desired composition, size, surface charge, and other properties
- Generate next-generation Vaccine Adjuvant Production
Liposome drug delivery applications include treatment for fungal and protozoan infections, influenza, Hepatitis A, malignant lymphomatous meningitis, breast cancer, age-related macular degeneration and more. Clinical trials are under way to test the effectiveness of liposomes to deliver drugs used in the treatment of leukemia, soft-tissue sarcoma, ovarian cancer and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Liposomes have also been developed both as the vaccine delivery systems and the adjuvant such as adjuvant systems 01 (AS01) used in the malaria and shingles vaccines.
Professor Perrie from the University of Strathclyde, UK has been conducting extensive research in Drug Delivery. Watch the webinar on 'formulating liposomes and the importance of vesicle control' to hear more.
