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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 process of this formulation was discovered 50 years ago. It came about as a solution to a problem of drugs taken orally being exhausted and digested before reaching the intended target areas. The liposomal way was deemed best suited since it was a favorable carrier to both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.

The simplicity of the liposomes' structural composition is key to its performance. They are made up of an aqueous solution which is engulfed in a strengthened mesh of either natural or synthetic phospholipids. The advantage of this is that it can fuse non-reactively with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, each attaching to the element it does not react to.

Researchers have found the process of formation of these compounds may be critical to their performance. They are formed when strands of phospholipids are put in water, and a given heat amount is directed to them. The composition of the formed liposomes is tested against that of this drug it is intended to carry, so as to determine compatibility and avoid destructive reactions.

When such discoveries are made, researchers are eager to push it so as to find out if the new discovery can lead to better drugs. IN this case it did. An anthracycline drug known as Doxorubicin was developed to help control the spread of cancer. This is achieved by injecting stains of base DNA and RNA into the malignant cells. The enzyme topoisomerase is also injected at a later stage. These procedures inhibit replication of the cells actively controlling their 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.

The use of liposomes as a carrier for dietary supplements is a newer idea that I undergoing further research. The idea is to use the same technique as the currently successful targeted drug delivery to deliver various supplements taken orally to specific areas in the body. This is however still undergoing research and testing. The use of liposomes in creation of various drugs and vaccines has led to a huge leap in terms of drug research and development. The process of the formulation has thus been lauded as wielding enormous potential for development of better medical solutions for a lot of persistent medical conditions.




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