Chapter 4 - Liposomal formulation: opportunities, challenges, and industrial applicability

Abstract

Recently, numerous advanced technologies have been established with respect to the formulation development process and modifications of novel active molecules for their successful delivery to the target site. Liposomes are identified as one of the well-investigated drug-delivery systems with various applications in the biomedical field since the 1960s. The benefits of liposomes as a drug-delivery carrier includes their flexibility in incorporating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds, biocompatibility, and targeting ability. Such versatile characteristics of liposomes make them efficacious in addressing the limitations of active compounds and avoid their toxic off-site effects to ultimately augment their therapeutic efficacy. In this chapter, we will discuss the prominent progress of liposomes development, the current state-of-the-art of different types of liposomal drug and gene delivery, methods for their preparation and the general concept of passive and active targeting of liposomal delivery system. Other aspects including challenges in loading therapeutic cargoes, pending industrial obstacles that remain in manufacturing for clinical translation and commercialization of liposomes as well as their regulatory concerns will be discussed. An additional point of view was presented summarizing the current marketed and clinical liposomes, highlighting the current trends and future perspectives in liposomal drug and gene delivery systems.