Neuroscience

Non-invasive method to deliver drugs to the brain

In a new study researchers from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, in collaboration with the Noninvasive Surgery & Biopsy Laboratory led by Dr. James Choi at Imperial College London, have found that ...

Immunology

Steering the immune system with liposomes

Liposomes—nano-sized spheres composed of fatty molecules—are very promising for vaccination. Bio-pharmaceutical scientist Naomi Benne discovered that the immune response in animal models can be steered by varying the ...

Dentistry

Nanotechnology could redefine oral surgery

A trip to the dentist or orthodontist usually instills a sense of dread in most patients, and that's before the exam even begins. Add to that the fear of oral surgery with a painful recovery, and many people will avoid these ...

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Liposome

Liposomes are artificially prepared vesicles made of lipid bilayer. Liposomes can be filled with drugs, and used to deliver drugs for cancer and other diseases. Liposomes are composite structures made of phospholipids and may contain small amounts of other molecules. Though liposomes can vary in size from low micrometer range to tens of micrometers, unilamellar liposomes, as pictured here, are typically in the lower size range with various targeting ligands attached to their surface allowing for their surface-attachment and accumulation in pathological areas for treatment of disease. Liposomes can be prepared by disrupting biological membranes, for example by sonication.

Liposomes can be composed of naturally derived phospholipids with mixed lipid chains (like egg phosphatidylethanolamine) or other surfactants. Liposomes should not be confused with micelles and reverse micelles composed of monolayers.

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