English edit

Etymology edit

Blend of polymer +‎ liposome

Noun edit

polymersome (plural polymersomes)

  1. (organic chemistry) A polymer-based liposome.
    • 1999 May 14, Bohdana M. Discher et al., “Polymersomes: Tough Vesicles Made from Diblock Copolymers”, in Science[1], volume 284, number 5417, →DOI, pages 1143–1146:
      Both the membrane bending and area expansion moduli of electroformed polymersomes (polymer-based liposomes) fell within the range of lipid membrane measurements, but the giant polymersomes proved to be almost an order of magnitude tougher and sustained far greater areal strain before rupture.
    • 2000 June 16, Gerard C. L. Wong et al., “Hierarchical Self-Assembly of F-Actin and Cationic Lipid Complexes: Stacked Three-Layer Tubule Networks”, in Science[2], volume 288, number 5473, →DOI, pages 2035–2039:
      The governing concepts for this biological self-assembly are general; for example, we expect synthetic analogs, such as charged polymersomes of diblock copolymers (47 ) and polyelectrolytes, to give rise to similar complex membrane architectures and "plastic" tubules for chemical delivery and a variety of other applications.