Polymersome carriers: From self-assembly to siRNA and protein therapeutics

Polymersomes are polymer-based vesicular shells that form upon hydration of amphiphilic block copolymers. These high molecular weight amphiphiles impart physicochemical properties that allow polymersomes to stably encapsulate or integrate a broad range of active molecules. This robustness together with recently described mechanisms for controlled breakdown of degradable polymersomes as well as escape from endolysosomes suggests that polymersomes might be usefully viewed as having structure/property/function relationships somewhere between lipid vesicles and viral capsids. Here we Summarize the assembly and development of controlled release polymersomes to encapsulate therapeutics ranging from small molecule anti-cancer drugs to siRNA and therapeutic proteins. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.