Lipid vesicles: Potentials as drug delivery systems

The last decade has witnessed substantial efforts to deliver therapeutic ingredients of diverse nature including small and macromolecules, genes, and biopharmaceutical agents using advanced and novel drug delivery platforms. The advances in nanotechnology have fueled the research further leading to nanoscaled drug carrier system to achieve superior technological and therapeutic outcomes. In this scenario, lipid-based drug delivery systems, in general, and lipid vesicles, in particular, have evolved as solution to varieties of drug delivery difficulties often faced by drug delivery scientists. This chapter aims at providing the advances in various such lipid-based vesicular systems used for delivery of therapeutic agents.