Liposomes: Vehicles for the targeted and controlled delivery of peptides and proteins

Several approaches are presented that have been developed for the liposomal delivery of peptides and proteins. For a rational design of targeted liposomes, the anatomical and physiological constraints with respect to the distribution of liposomes in the body have to be taken into account. Target sites that offer exciting opportunities are located in the blood compartments (e.g. thrombi, endothelium), in the liver (e.g. macrophages), in the peritoneal cavity (e.g. tumor cells), or in diseased tissues (e.g. inflammations or tumors). Examples of ongoing liposome-related research in our institutes are discussed.