Liposome Targeted Modification Services

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Why Liposome Targeted Modification?

Liposomes, lipid-based vesicles, have long been recognized as promising drug delivery vehicles due to their biocompatibility, versatility, and ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. However, their broad distribution in the body and nonspecific cellular uptake have limited their efficacy and safety in clinical applications. To address these challenges, targeted modification of liposomes has emerged as a powerful strategy to enhance their specificity and efficiency in delivering therapeutic agents to desired tissues or cells. The conventional use of unmodified liposomes often results in off-target effects and systemic toxicity, as they can accumulate in non-target tissues and organs. Targeted modification of liposomes allows for precise delivery of therapeutic payloads to specific sites, minimizing adverse effects on healthy tissues. By functionalizing liposomes with ligands that bind selectively to receptors overexpressed on diseased cells or tissues, such as cancer cells or inflamed tissues, targeted liposomes can improve drug efficacy while reducing side effects.

Figure 1. Types of liposome modifications. (Khan, A. A.; et al, 2020)

BOC Sciences' Liposome Targeted Modification Services

As a leading provider of biochemical and pharmaceutical services, BOC Sciences offers comprehensive targeted modification services for liposomes to meet the diverse needs of drug developers and researchers. Leveraging our extensive expertise in chemistry, biology, and pharmaceutical sciences, we specialize in the design and synthesis of ligand-conjugated liposomes tailored to specific therapeutic applications. Our team of experienced scientists collaborates closely with clients to develop customized liposomal formulations with optimal targeting ligands, ensuring precise delivery to the desired cellular or tissue targets. From ligand selection and conjugation chemistry to liposome formulation and characterization, we provide end-to-end solutions to accelerate drug development and translational research. We offer the following lipsome targeted modification services:

Custom Peptide-Modified Liposome Service

Peptide molecules are an important class of bioactive substances in the body, participating in growth, development, metabolism, and serving as intermediate products in protein hydrolysis. Peptides possess advantages such as high specificity, selectivity, small size, ease of modification, and high biocompatibility. Furthermore, due to the absence of tertiary structure, peptides tend to be more stable. Therefore, peptides hold vast potential in targeted drug delivery.

Custom Antibody-Modified Liposome Service

Antibody-modified LPs, known as immunoliposomes (IL), involve the incorporation of monoclonal antibodies or antibody functional fragments onto the surface of LPs. By utilizing the specificity of antibodies to bind to surface antigens on target cells, ILs enrich drug delivery systems within target cells, thereby reducing drug side effects. ILs can be classified based on the targeting antibodies into complete antibodies, monoclonal antibodies, antibody Fab fragments, and single-chain antibodies (single-chain fragment variable, scFv). Complete antibodies, due to their large size, are not conducive to in vivo circulation of LPs and lack specificity, so they are rarely used as modifying agents.

Custom Glycan-Modified Liposome Service

Sugars are the main source of cellular energy, as cells produce ATP through glycolysis to supply energy. Tumor cells, compared to normal cells, lose control over growth and thus require a large amount of ATP to sustain survival. The increased expression of glucose transporters (GLUT) on the cell membrane surface can meet this demand. GLUT not only transports glucose specifically but also transports galactose, mannose, and their derivatives. Additionally, sugars are involved in many cellular metabolic processes. Furthermore, based on the characteristics of different cells, various sugar receptors are specifically expressed on the cell surface. This suggests that sugars can be used as ligands to modify LPs, achieving the purpose of targeting tumor cells.

Custom Ligand-Modified Liposomes

Due to alterations in gene expression in cancer cells, different cancer cells may overexpress specific receptors, while normal cells express these receptors at low levels or do not express them at all. Therefore, ligands that can bind to these receptors when modified on the surface of LPs can enable LPs to selectively recognize these cancer cells or tissues, achieving targeted delivery. Currently, research on ligands based on the specific binding of cell surface receptors mainly focuses on folate (FA), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and transferrin (TF), etc.

Custom Cell Membrane-coated Liposomes

Surface-modified liposomes can enhance drug delivery by extending blood circulation time and improving targeting. Combining synthetic nanoparticles with natural biomaterials enables the creation of complex functional surfaces and biological interfaces. Cell membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles offer an innovative delivery method, leveraging the benefits of both synthetic and natural materials to improve treatment outcomes for various diseases. Cell membrane-coated liposomes exhibit extended circulation, high biocompatibility, targeting capabilities, and the ability to deliver multiple drugs simultaneously, making them a promising drug delivery platform. Various types of membranes, such as those from red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, cancer cells, bacteria, and stem cells, have been used in constructing biomimetic nanoliposomes for cancer therapy.

Advantages of BOC Sciences' Liposome Targeted Modification Services

BOC Sciences stands out in the field of liposome targeted modification services due to several key advantages:

Expertise and Experience: With over 20 years of experience in biochemical and pharmaceutical sciences, our team of scientists possesses unparalleled expertise in liposome modification and drug delivery optimization.
Customized Solutions: We offer tailored solutions to meet the unique requirements of each project, from ligand selection and optimization to liposome formulation and characterization.
State-of-the-Art Facilities: BOC Sciences is equipped with cutting-edge facilities and technologies to support the design, synthesis, and characterization of targeted liposomal formulations.
Rigorous Quality Control: We adhere to stringent quality control standards throughout the development process, ensuring the reproducibility, stability, and safety of our liposomal products.
Timely Delivery: We are committed to delivering high-quality results within agreed timelines, enabling our clients to accelerate their drug discovery and development programs.

In conclusion, targeted modification of liposomes represents a promising approach to enhance the specificity and efficacy of drug delivery systems. BOC Sciences' targeted modification services offer customized solutions and unparalleled expertise to support the development of novel targeted liposomal formulations for a wide range of therapeutic applications. With our collaborative approach and commitment to excellence, we empower our clients to advance their research and improve patient outcomes in the field of precision medicine.

Case Study

Case Study 1 Optimizing Liposome Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Figure 2. Schematic illustration of targeted liposome nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells. (Federman, N.; et al, 2010)

The case study delves into optimization strategies for targeted cancer treatment, specifically how this can be achieved by optimizing liposome nanoparticles. By taking full advantage of the malformed structure and enhanced permeability of tumor blood vessels, the researchers designed the nanoparticles so that they can accumulate and release drugs within tumor tissue more efficiently. Size and charge are key factors, as optimization of size ensures that particles can cross the tumor vascular endothelial barrier, while charge can affect particle lifetime in circulation and distribution in tumor tissue. In this context, the optimal configuration seems to be to keep the size of the nanoparticles between 50 and 100 nanometers, with a neutral or slightly anionic charge. This research provides useful implications for new strategies for targeted cancer treatment.

Case Study 2 Studies on the construction of liposomes with accounting modifications.

Figure 3. Three methods of nucleic acid modification of liposomes. (Yu, H.; et al, 2021)

This case study examines the use of nucleic acids to modify liposomes in order to expand their application for the delivery of bioactive molecules in the nutraceutical and biomedical fields. The study points out that functional nucleic acids, such as aptamers with good target recognition and molecular assembly properties, can be used to modify liposomes, thereby increasing their functionality and applicability. This study summarizes the construction strategies for liposome nucleic acid modification including covalent, non-covalent and protein-mediated approaches, and compares and discusses their applications in stability enhancement, biosensing, drug delivery and biomimetic structure synthesis. In conclusion, as a novel advanced material, nucleic acid-modified liposomes have promising applications for biosensor or pharmaceutical purposes.

FAQ

1: What are the current challenges of target-modified liposomes?

The preparation of target-modified liposomes is complex and faces technical challenges such as effective binding of modifiers to liposomes and stability issues. In addition, there are further barriers to in vivo metabolism, excretion and clinical translation.

2: What are the applications of focused on modified liposomes?

Focused on modified liposomes can be utilized in different areas, including drug delivery, cancer therapy, gene therapy, and diagnostic imaging. Their capacity to target particular cell surface receptors improves medicate viability while minimizing harm to ordinary cells.

3: What are the strategies of liposome-targeted modification?

Strategies for accomplishing focused on modification of liposomes incorporate covalent coupling, non-covalent interactions, and protein-mediated approaches. Different molecules such as antibodies, ligands, oligonucleotides, and polysaccharides associated with functional groups on the surface of liposomes.

References

Khan, A. A.; et al. Recent Strategies towards the Surface Modification of Liposomes: An Innovative Approach for Different Clinical Applications. 3 Biotech. 2020, 10(4): 163.
Federman, N.; et al. Targeting Liposomes Toward Novel Pediatric Anticancer Therapeutics. Pediatric Research. 2010, 67: 514–519.
Yu, H.; et al. Nucleic Acid - Modified Liposome: Construction Methods and Biological Applications. Advanced Materials Interfaces. 2021, 9(3): 2101246.