Abstract

Since its first discovery in 1961 by the British haematologist Bangham, the hollow lipid vesicle with a bilayer structure has gained widespread attention for its irreplaceable advantages, such as excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Researchers in fields of pharmacy and biophotonics have made intensive studies of the therapeutic applications and clinical utilities of lipids as drug carriers. However, there is a growing need to integrate imaging and therapeutic capabilities into a single drug carrier system. As a result, recently, the design of liposome–nanoparticle hybrid is proposed, which utilize different kinds of nanoparticles to functionalize the liposome, resulting in a multifunctional nanoplatform.

© 2013 Japan Society of Applied Physics, Optical Society of America