Lipid loss and compositional change during preparation of liposomes by common biophysical methods.

Liposomes are spherical lipid membranes that can be prepared by a variety of biophysical techniques. Researchers use liposomes in a variety of ways, including fundamental biophysical studies of lipid membranes, in drug delivery, drug formulation, and other biotechnology applications. In this report, we study the process to prepare liposomes by several common techniques and validate how reliable each technique is at producing consistent liposome concentrations and lipid compositions. We identify best practices for researchers to produce reliable liposome preparations.