The term “liposome” is derived from two Greek words: “lipos,” meaning fat, and “soma,” meaning body. It was first discovered in 1961 by Dr. Alec D. Bangham and published in 1964.

Liposomes are carrier systems composed of phospholipids, similar to the structure of cell membranes. They have amphiphilic properties, meaning they contain both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and lipophilic (fat-attracting) parts, and typically range in size from 30 nm to 1000 nm.