Liposomes as versatile drug delivery vehicles: emerging trends, technological innovations and future perspectives

Liposomes are vesicular carriers and highly engineered multifunctional platforms that can address the broadest range of therapeutic needs. So far, their capacity to encapsulate the hydrophobic and hydrophilic components, as well as their ability to vary their surface chemistry and biocompatibility, has enabled their use on a large scale in oncology, infectious diseases, vaccine delivery, and gene therapy. New developments focus on surface engineering to enhance targeting, stimuli-responsive and intelligent liposome engineering to achieve site-specific drug delivery, and incorporation into hybrid nanocarrier systems that build on and leverage the advantages of multiple delivery platforms. A further expansion in clinical application has been the use of co-delivery and combination therapy approaches, which permit synergistic treatment regimens. Innovations in route-specific delivery, such as inhalable, transdermal, and intranasal liposomal delivery systems or expanded therapeutic delivery and patient adherence. The introduction of individualized and precision liposomal therapy through molecular characterization is a step in the right direction toward individualized treatment regimens. Liposomal medicines have been widely and commercially successful, and liposomal drugs have been approved by the FDA many times (and large-scale production, maximization of stability, regulatory uniformity, and uniform clinical translation are also now no longer problematic). The review provides a combined consideration of the current trend, new technology development, and market awareness with a prospective opportunity description of integrating liposomal delivery with new diagnostic and adaptive therapeutic approaches. Therefore, liposomes will keep leading the pack of forthcoming drug delivery methods as they silence a broader nanotechnology breakthrough through adopting patient-centric approaches.