The design and construction of delivery vectors with high stability and effective cellular uptake efficiency is very important. In this study, a novel polymeric Liposomes (PLs) formed from PEGylated octadecyl-quaternized lysine modified chitosan (OQLCS) and cholesterol with higher size stability and cellular uptake efficiency has been synthesized successfully. Compared to conventional liposomes (CLs; phosphatidyl choline/cholesterol), the calcein-loaded PLs exhibited a multi-lamellar structure with homogenous size diameter (200 nm) and high calcein encapsulation efficiency (about 92%). PLs could be stored at different temperature (25,4, and 20 degrees C) and different medium (deionized water, phosphate-buffered saline, and human plasma solution) for up to 4 weeks without significant size change. The spectrophotometer fluorometry analysis and the flow cytometry analysis indicated that in comparison with CL, PLs with positive zeta potential facilitates the uptake of calcein by MCF-7 tumor cells. The data suggests that PLs may provide a new method to overcome the stability and enhance the uptake efficiency of CLs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;106: 952-962. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.