Rapid Concentration-Dependent Liposome Size Profiling Using a Cascaded and Concentration-Encoded Microfluidic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery

Background:

• Lipid-based nanomedicines require precise size control for effective in vivo drug delivery.
• Existing microfluidic devices struggle to comprehensively evaluate lipid concentration's impact on liposome size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-throughput microfluidic platform for evaluating lipid concentration effects on liposome size.
• To accelerate the formulation development of lipid-based nanomedicines.

Main Methods:

• Development of a cascaded and concentration-encoded microfluidic platform (CCEMP).
• CCEMP integrates a microfluidic concentration gradient generator (MCGG) and a microfluidic liposome generator (MLG).
• Parallel screening of six lipid concentrations with enhanced throughput.

Main Results:

• CCEMP demonstrated 6-fold higher throughput compared to single-channel devices.
• Optimized small liposomes showed superior cellular uptake and tumor accumulation in vitro and in vivo.
• Drug-loaded liposomes synthesized using CCEMP exhibited enhanced delivery efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The CCEMP offers a flexible and efficient solution for tailoring liposomal properties.
• This platform accelerates the development of nanomedicines with improved therapeutic capacity.
• Precise size control via CCEMP is crucial for enhancing in vivo drug delivery.