Translational Insights into Liposomal Drug Delivery: Recent Advances, Therapeutic Applications, and Clinical Trials

Liposomes are artificially constructed, phospholipid-based vesicular systems that have emerged as vital components in pharmaceutical nanotechnology and advanced drug delivery. Their flexible bilayered structure enables the encapsulation of a broad spectrum of therapeutic agents, enhancing drug stability and bioavailability. Since their discovery, liposomes have been widely explored as efficient drug carriers and diagnostic tools due to their superior capacity to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients precisely to target sites. Their inherent advantages including high biocompatibility, the enhanced permeability and retention effect for passive tumor targeting, customizable surface modification for improved targeting efficiency, and enhanced physicochemical stability collectively position them as promising nanocarriers for cancer therapy and other biomedical applications. Liposomes, as synthetic nanoscale vesicles, offer significant promise for immunotherapeutic interventions due to their capability to codeliver antigens and adjuvants while modulating immune cell behavior. Specialized formulations such as immunoliposomes, virosomes, and other immunostimulatory complexes engineered with specific ligands or immune active moieties exhibit unique structural and functional profiles that enhance anticancer immune responses. Furthermore, liposomes facilitate targeted cargo delivery to immune cells, influencing their phenotype and functional activity. This review presents an integrated overview of liposomal composition, structural attributes, mechanisms of drug delivery, therapeutic applications, and clinical progress. The use of liposomes in delivering small molecules, macromolecules, and nucleic acids has demonstrated significant advancements, underscoring their expanding role in modern therapeutics. Overall, this article provides a comprehensive and up-to-date examination of liposome technology and its clinical translational potential.