In
biotechnology,
polymersomes are a class of artificial
vesicles, tiny hollow spheres that enclose a solution. Polymersomes are made using
amphiphilic synthetic block
copolymers to form the vesicle membrane, and have radii ranging from 50 nm to 5 µm or more. Most reported polymersomes contain an
aqueous solution in their core and are useful for encapsulating and protecting sensitive molecules, such as drugs, enzymes, other proteins and peptides, and DNA and RNA fragments. The polymersome membrane provides a physical barrier that isolates the encapsulated material from external materials, such as those found in biological systems.