A decade of the liposome-protein corona: lessons learned and future breakthroughs in theranostics

A decade has passed since the concept of the protein corona, as originally termed by Dawson and coworkers in 2007, was extended to liposomes. Although the protein binding to liposomes has been known since the 1970 s, deep knowledge of the factors triggering its formation and interaction with living systems in vitro and in vivo was not fully understood. Over the last 10 years, multidisciplinary efforts from chemistry, physics, materials science, biology, toxicology, and immunology were put together to understand the synthetic-biological duality of the liposome-protein corona. Here we focus on the methods employed for characterizing the liposome-protein corona, the categories of factors shaping its composition, and the most relevant applications in the field of nanomedicine, where liposomes are designed for targeted drug delivery, vaccination against cancer and infectious diseases, imaging, and diagnostics. We conclude the review by contemplating future research directions and appealing to researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to recognize the relevance of this field of research.