UC San Diego

Since the discovery of liposomes in the 1960s, lipid-based materials have played a significant role in the development of nanotechnology. Present applications of liposomes range from cosmetics, food, drug formulation, adjuvant carriers, to gene therapy. However, specifically within drug delivery applications, there are major deficiencies concerning the stability of agent carriers with respect to drug loading, controlled release, overcoming biological barriers, and efficient active targeting. Consequently, there is a serious need for the development of stable materials towards improving the delivery of therapeutics. Herein, we present a strategy for the preparation of robust and stable lipid materials capable of encapsulating small molecules and assembling into well-defined structures as a potential therapeutic delivery system. These systems aim to address the key issues of high permeability of membranes and the subsequent release of encapsulated cargo. Taking inspiration from Archaea organisms, in their ability to withstand extreme environments, archaea-type lipids were synthesized towards generating archaeosomes as an alternative and improved approach for the encapsulation and release of small molecule cargo. These biomimetic materials may potentially serve as stabilizing agents, drug storage, and drug carriers in therapeutics.