Liposomes, lipid assemblies, nanotechnology, and everything interesting in between

Since the introduction of the term “liposome” within early papers such as those by Belt (1958), Schlunk and Lombardi (1967), Kinsky et al. (1968), and Sessa and Weissmann (1968), the field of liposome research has grown and evolved to such a degree that a PubMed search on “liposome” currently produces over 35,000 items, over 1,600 of which were published in the last year alone—a rather impressive, yet impossible, volume of research to keep fully abreast with. Moreover, this is just searching for publications using the term liposome and does not include the many variations on the theme, which can include niosomes, virosomes, immunoliposomes, lipoplexes, microbubbles, and synthetic vesicles, to name but a few.

In our recent Editorial Board meeting at the last International Liposome Society meeting, a change of name for the journal was discussed with the aim of highlighting the widening remit of the journal beyond what might be deemed the more standard liposome systems. However, in the end, we decided to retain the original name of the journal, given its established reputation. Indeed, as Juliet comments in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare, 1594):

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;”

In this, she stresses what matters is what something is, not what it is called. Within the Journal of Liposome Research, we are of the same mind as Juliet—a liposome by any other name, be it built from lipids, lipid-like molecules, or any number of synthetic components, and organized in any one of the numerous range of constructs from nano- to microsized and beyond, are all of sweet interest to us.

Therefore, for 2009, we have retained our journal name but mean liposome research in a wide and encompassing way and not restricted to phospholipid bilayer vesicles. We also have a new Editorial Team consisting of Volkmar Weissig, Kazuo Maruyama, and myself. Our mission is to build on the hard work of the previous Editors—Andrew Janoff and Leaf Huang, to continue to grow the journal and to ensure we engage the many researchers who work with liposomes and their copious iterations. Within this issue, we have a range of topics and systems covered from PEGylated liposomes through to lecithin:cholesterol implants and cubosomes. All of these are topics diverse in many aspects, but sharing a common theme and a common home within the Journal of Liposome Research. We hope you enjoy these new adventures into liposomes and beyond.