ABSTRACT
Lipid vesicles (or liposomes, Figure 17.1) have been investigated for more than 40 years [1], and several books have been written to describe their preparation, properties, and application (for an excellent introduction, see the book written by Lasic [2]). Besides the classical biophysical studies on the use of liposomes as model membranes, and their important applications in drug and gene delivery [3], these lipid compartments have been used by several researchers as cellular models, either from the viewpoint of compartmentalized reactions [4], or to create models of protocells in origins of life studies [5].
