Liposomes: the Babraham connection

A chronological history is given of the experimental work carried out at The Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Near Cambridge (UK) prior to and after the first description of liposomes in 1965. A convergence of worldwide interest in membrane structure and function coupled with the coexistence of physiologists, biochemists and electron microscopists provided a unique opportunity for the development of a useful model system. As well as defining their properties, such as composition, dimensions, perm-selectivity, permeating pathways and response to solutes (oil and/or water soluble), temperature and pressure, attention is drawn to a number of ideas investigated over the years relating to in vivo 'invisibility' of foreign particles, the trapping of ions in small vesicles the origins of life, to the mechanisms of anaesthesia and formulation of an effective lung surfactant.