Lipid membrane-based therapeutics and diagnostics.

Success rates in drug discovery are extremely low, and the imbalance between new drugs entering clinical research and their approval is steadily widening. Among the causes of the failure of new therapeutic agents are the lack of safety and insufficient efficacy. On the other hand, timely disease diagnosis may enable an early management of the disease, generally leading to better and less costly outcomes. Several strategies have been explored to overcome the barriers for drug development and facilitate diagnosis. Using lipid membranes as platforms for drug delivery or as biosensors are promising strategies, due to their biocompatibility and unique physicochemical properties. We examine some of the lipid membrane-based strategies for drug delivery and diagnostics, including their advantages and shortcomings. Regarding synthetic lipid membrane-based strategies for drug delivery, liposomes are the archetypic example of a successful approach, already with a long period of well-succeeded clinical application. The use of lipid membrane-based structures from biological sources as drug carriers, currently under clinical evaluation, is also discussed. These biomimetic strategies can enhance the in vivo lifetime of drug and delivery system by avoiding fast clearance, consequently increasing their therapeutic window. The strategies under development using lipid membranes for diagnostic purposes are also reviewed.