Towards designer nanoemulsions for precision delivery of therapeutics

• Nanoemulsions (NEs) remain underdeveloped as therapeutic delivery vehicles.
• Mature methods to physically and biologically characterise NEs will change this.
• Need to stabilise during emulsification has limited advanced surface functionality.
• Peptide-stabilised NEs permit surface engineering independent of stabilisation.

Various features of nanoemulsions, including ease of manufacture, stability and high loading capacity, make them particularly well-suited to drug delivery. However, to date they remain underdeveloped as therapeutic delivery vehicles. Recent advances in emulsion science and the maturation of technologies from physical and biological sciences that can be used to characterise nanoemulsions are set to change this. The biggest challenge to conferring sophisticated functionality to the surface of nanoemulsions has been the need to stabilise the oil–water interface during emulsification. Peptide-stabilised nanoemulsions have recently been developed into a technology that permits the engineering of advanced surface functionality, independent of emulsification.

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