Hybrid lipopolymer vesicle drug delivery and release systems
Erik Reimhult, Mudassar Mumtaz Virk
Abstract
Hybrid lipopolymer vesicles are membrane vesicles that can be self-assembled on both the micro- and nano-scale. On the nanoscale, they are potential novel smart materials for drug delivery systems that could combine the relative strengths of liposome and polymersome drug delivery systems without their respective weaknesses. However, little is known about their properties and how they could be tailored. Currently, most methods of investigation are limited to the microscale. Here we provide a brief review on hybrid vesicle systems with a specific focus on recent developments demonstrating that nanoscale hybrid vesicles have different properties from their macroscale counterparts.
Topics & Concepts
PolymersomeVesicleMicroscale chemistryDrug deliveryNanotechnologyLiposomeNanoscopic scaleMaterials scienceChemistryMembraneMathematicsCopolymerPolymerComposite materialAmphiphileMathematics educationBiochemistryLipid Membrane Structure and BehaviorNanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryRNA Interference and Gene Delivery