Research in Dr. Szoka's laboratory concentrates on understanding the physico-chemical properties of phospholipid bilayers, the biophysical factors involved in biomembrane fusion and how phospholipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes), can be used in pharmaceutical applications.
Liposomes were first produced in England in 1961 by Alec D. Bangham, who was studying phospholipids and blood clotting. It was found that phospholipids combined with water immediately formed a sphere because one end of each molecule is water soluble, while the opposite end is water insoluble. Water-soluble medications added to the water were trapped inside the aggregation of the hydrophobic ends; fat-soluble medications were incorporated into the phospholipid layer.
