Liposomes and virosomes as delivery systems for antigens, nucleic acids and drugs

Lipid-based vesicles are a very promising approach to treat diseases such as cancer, chronic infections and auto-immunity. Modern drug encapsulation methods allow efficient packing of therapeutic substances inside liposomes, thereby reducing the systemic toxicity of the drugs. Specific targeting can enhance the therapeutic effect of the drugs through their accumulation at the diseased site. In the vaccine field, the integration of functional viral envelope proteins into liposomes has led to an antigen carrier and delivery system termed a virosome, a clinically proven vaccine platform for subunit vaccines with an excellent immunogenicity and tolerability profile.