Lipid vesicles (LVs) are vesicles that are enclosed by at least one lipid layer. The present invention relates to the utilization of LVs for delivery of loaded cargo molecules into cells. Any LVs may be utilized, such as liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, lipid droplets, micelles, reverse micelles, and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles.
The invention facilitates the loading of diverse cargo molecules such as drugs, small molecules, nucleic acids, macromolecules, enzymes, proteins, and peptides into LVs. The cargo is then delivered into eukaryotic cells via the loaded LVs without being degraded or modified by extracellular enzymes or neutralized by host immune responses. Moreover, this protection conferred by LV-mediated delivery can be achieved without the need for chemical modification of the cargo molecule as a countermeasure, though chemical modification remains an option. Upon contacting a cell, the LV is internalized by the cell and the cargo is delivered into the cell. The cargo molecule may belong to any class of substance or combination of classes.
