ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Liposomes have been intensively studied by scientists from different disciplines since their discovery in the 1960s. Up until the end of 1992, this activity had resulted in the publication of over 15,000 articles with the word "liposome" in the title (source: Chemical Abstracts). Although the liposome structure as such has not been patented, almost 1000 patents have been issued or filed dealing with specific aspects of the liposome. Of these, about 500 were filed since 1985. This suggests that the spirit and enthusiasm to explore new research strategies with liposomes are as alive as in the early days of liposome research.
