Next-Generation Liposomes for Drug Delivery: Engineering Strategies and Therapeutic Applications

Abstract

Liposomes are versatile nanocarrier systems widely investigated for pharmaceutical drug delivery because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. Since their discovery in the 1960s, liposomes have evolved into advanced nanomedicine platforms with applications in cancer therapy, antimicrobial treatment, gene delivery, vaccines, and personalised medicine. Advances in lipid chemistry, nanotechnology, and pharmaceutical engineering have enabled the development of long-circulating, targeted, stimuli-responsive, and multifunctional liposomal formulations. Several liposome-based products have received regulatory approval, demonstrating their clinical and translational potential. However, challenges related to formulation stability, encapsulation efficiency, large-scale manufacturing, storage, and regulatory requirements remain. Emerging approaches, including microfluidics, artificial intelligence-assisted formulation development, precision nanomedicine, and personalised drug delivery, are expected to address these limitations. This review discusses the historical development, structural characteristics, classification, preparation methods, therapeutic applications, clinical status, and future perspectives of liposomal drug delivery systems, with particular emphasis on recent innovations driving the development of next-generation liposomal therapeutics. Keywords: Liposome, Nanomedicine,Drug Delivery System, Phospholipid Vesicles, Targeted Drug Delivery, Nanotechnology, Lipid Nanocarriers, Controlled Drug Release.