Medical Breakthroughs From Liposomal Formulation

By Kristen Baird


Among the major areas of care fixated by people is their health. As such, advances in medicines are duly welcome and highly appreciated. Progress in research of various diseases and development of drugs to help curb them is always a good indicator. One such aspect of progress has been noted in liposomal formulation.

The formulation is a rightful step in the advancement of drugs. The procedure was discovered to curb the unwanted effects of drugs being exhausted before reaching the target areas. The initial phase of the process involves encapsulating the drug in a layer of digestible and healthy phospholipids. There were several options on the table, but after further research, liposomes were found to be the most favorable carriers.

The structural composition of the liposomes was adequately suited for the job at hand. It is composed of a mainly liquid core. This is enveloped by a layer of phospholipids, which could be either synthetic or natural. The drugs to be transported, depending on their chemical composition, would either attach to the core or upper layers without being destroyed or denatured.

The core structure of liposomes is what causes them to be preferred among researchers of various fields and disciplines. They are formed when phospolipids are immersed in water and a specific amount of heat directed toward them. To determine if it is an appropriate carrier for a given drug, the chemical composition should be bench-marked against that of the drug, so as to avert reactions.

Advances such as these have led to further progress in the medical field. The most famous being development of Doxorubicin, a form of anthracycline. This is a drug that was developed to curb the spread of cancer. It does this in two stages, first, by inserting base stains of DNA and RNA molecules which inhibits replication of cells. The second phase is inhibition of an enzyme known as topoisomerase II, which serves the same purpose of inhibition of cellular growth.

Research and development has been kicked into top gear with the discovery and advancement of this formulation. There are high expectations from various areas on the development of drugs to help the fight against most terminal illnesses. There has been consistent research in developing anti-cancer drugs in the recent past. Drugs such as doxorubicin, paclitaxel, cisplatin, lipoplatin and aroplatin have been developed and testing is ongoing for the same purpose.

Some diseases which were considered deadly can now be mitigated via vaccines. Research in the field of liposomes has led to development of several vaccines which can now be actively used as preventative medicine. Most however are still undergoing rigorous testing. Some of the vaccines created include Inflexal V against influenza, Epaxal for Hepatitis, and Stimuvax for cancer.

Another point of progress thanks to this formulation has been in delivery of dietary supplements. It is still a new area under testing, but has great promise considering the level of success the formulations has garnered from targeted drug delivery. The process of the formulation is hence referred to as a new era of medical advances.




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