Multisomes: encapsulated droplet networks

A process for producing a droplet encapsulate, which droplet encapsulate comprises:

• a drop of a hydrophobic medium which comprises an oil;
• a peripheral layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the drop;
• and
• an aqueous droplet, or a plurality of aqueous droplets, within the peripheral layer, wherein the or each aqueous droplet comprises:
• (a) an aqueous medium and (b) an outer layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium,
• wherein the droplet encapsulate comprises a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules, and wherein:
• an aqueous droplet is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet contacts said peripheral layer, thereby forming said bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer;
• or
• (ii) part of the outer layer of a first of said aqueous droplets contacts part of the outer layer of a second of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming said bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said first and second droplets;
• which process comprises:
• transferring an aqueous droplet, which aqueous droplet comprises (a) an aqueous medium and (b) an outer layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium,
• into a drop of a hydrophobic medium, which drop of said hydrophobic medium has a peripheral layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around its surface.

A process for producing a droplet encapsulate, which process comprises:

• (i) introducing a droplet of aqueous medium from a first channel of a microfluidic device, which first channel contains said aqueous medium, into a second channel of the microfluidic device, which second channel contains a hydrophobic medium which comprises an oil,
• wherein the aqueous medium in first channel, or the hydrophobic medium in the second channel, or both, further comprise non-polymeric amphipathic molecules,
• thereby producing in the second channel an aqueous droplet within the hydrophobic medium, said aqueous droplet comprising:
• (a) said aqueous medium and (b) an outer layer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium;
• and
• (ii) introducing a drop of said hydrophobic medium from the second channel, which drop of hydrophobic medium comprises aqueous droplet, or a plurality of said aqueous droplets, into a third channel of the microfluidic device, wherein the third channel contains a hydrophilic carrier,
• wherein the hydrophobic medium in the second channel, or the hydrophilic carrier in the third channel or both, further comprise non-polymeric amphipathic molecules, thereby producing in the third channel a droplet encapsulate within the hydrophilic carrier, the droplet encapsulate comprising:
• the drop of said hydrophobic medium;
• a peripheral layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the drop;
• and
• said aqueous droplet, or said plurality of said aqueous droplets, within said peripheral layer,
• wherein the droplet encapsulate comprises a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules, and wherein:
• an aqueous droplet is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet contacts said peripheral layer, thereby forming said bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer;
• or
• (ii) part of the outer layer of a first of said aqueous droplets contacts part of the outer layer of a second of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming said bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said first and second droplets.