RECENT ADVANCES IN LIPOSOME TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR SYSTEMIC GENE DELIVERY

The recent clinical successes experienced by liposomal drug delivery s ystems stem from the ability to produce well-defined liposomes that ca n be composed of a wide variety of lipids, have high drug-trapping eff iciencies and have a narrow size distribution, averaging less than 100 nm in diameter. Agents that prolong the circulation lifetime of lipos omes, enhance the delivery of liposomal drugs to specific target cells , or enhance the ability of liposomes to deliver drugs intracellularly can be incorporated to further increase the therapeutic activity. The physical and chemical requirements for optimum liposome drug delivery systems will likely apply to lipid-based gene delivery systems. As a result, the development of liposomal delivery systems for systemic gen e delivery should follow similar strategies. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.