Amphiphilic Self-Assembling Nanocapsules and Planar Membranes

The nanocapsules and planar membranes are made from amphiphilic copolymers. The copolymers are formed into hollow vesicles or planar membranes through self-assembly methods. The vesicles or planar membranes are stabilized by crosslinking the copolymers to form nanocapsules or stabilized planar membranes. The amphiphilic copolymers can be ABA copolymers, where one of A and B is hydrophilic and the other is hydrophobic. The nanocapsules can be used for a number of purposes. In one embodiment, the nanocapsules are used to deliver a therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic agent to a patient in need thereof. For example, if an ABA copolymer is used, a hydrophilic drug can be encapsulated inside the vesicles or a hydrophobic drug can be encapsulated in the middle layer of the vesicles. Molecules, such as membrane proteins, can be incorporated into the wall of the nanocapsules.

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