Biocompatible and biodegradable polymersomes as delivery vehicles in biomedical applications

Biocompatible and biodegradable polymersomes are commonly self-assembled from amphiphilic diblock copolymers composed of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or poly-(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) segments and hydrophobic polyester blocks, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) or poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL). Such polymersomes have emerged as promising delivery vehicles for pharmaceutical applications. Presented in this review are summaries of recent developments of biocompatible and biodegradable polymersomes, including self-assembly, encapsulation of various therapeutics, pH-induced hydrolysis for controlled release as well as their functionalization and intelligent design.