What is Liposomal Encapsulation Technology?

Now that the science community, health industry and blogosphere are all abuzz with the term Nanotechnology, let us venture into the more specific realm of Liposomal Encapsulation Technologies. LET, as it is called, is the particular method for sustained release of more and more health supplements and/or nutritional compounds. Although primitive incarnations of the LET process are almost 30 years old, the technology is only now being recognized as universally exciting.

LET has the very real potential to clean up healthcare in this country. It is efficient, effective and cost-effective for both the consumer and the producer – a vital perk in these dark economic times.

As Sébastien Gouin said in Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 15, Issues 7-8, July-August 2004, “A timely and targeted release improves the effectiveness of food additives, broadens the application range of food ingredients and ensures optimal dosage, thereby improving cost-effectiveness for the food manufacturer.”

LET can be applied to cancer diagnosis and treatment, nutritive and dietary supplements and even cosmetic products or topical moisturizers due to its transdermal transport qualities.

As Robert D. Milne, M.D. states in his book PC Liposomal Encapsulation Technology, “The basic reason that LET is so powerful is that it enables the delivery of more pure, nondegraded, substances to the specially targeted tissues and organs than any other method” (Milne 11).

“A myriad of liposomal carriers have been developed. Some release their contents at a certain temperature, others at a specific pH, while others in the presence of certain substances. In other words, they function like microscopic smart bombs that can travel through the body and deploy their payload in the desired location” (Milne 16).

LET can also help solve the problem of bio-availability. Because the system is microscopic and efficient, considerably smaller dosages are needed thereby conserving medical resources. The performance of a liposomal encapsulated supplement is also protected from degradation by saliva, stomach acids and intestinal flora. This allows for 100 percent utility of the encapsulated ingredients.

Hopefully, we have demystified LET a bit here. The term itself is certainly a mouthful and that can be intimidating. However, the masses shouldn’t let jargon stand in the way of embracing a capable technology with such diverse applications. The benefits, as mentioned earlier, overlap beyond health, well being or disease treatment. Our economy, too, is waiting for opportunities like this to start knocking.