The possibility of an early diagnosis to detect the evolution of liver disease to liver fibrosis remains a Holy Grail in hepatology. The lack of accurate, reproducible, and easily applicable methods for the assessment of hepatic fibrosis has been the major limitation for both the clinical management and research in liver diseases. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard to reach the certainty of diagnosis. The nature of the procedure, however, creates a quest for a less invasive diagnostic modality through which the evolution of the disease and the effectiveness of the anti-fibrotic therapies could be followed. The identification of biomarkers specific for enzymes responsible for the early alterations of liver microstructure, combined with a non-invasive optical imaging modality, could guide the clinicians towards a timely therapeutic strategy. The biomarkers, indeed, could be also used as a tool to achieve a highly specific treatment in the fibrosis-affected areas in the liver. Liposomes represent an optimal platform to combine diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficiency. In this research project emphasis is placed on the development and physicochemical characterization as well as on the use of in vitro cell culture to test targeted liposomes designed to improve management strategies of this chronic fibro-proliferative disease. For more information: J Mater. Chem. B (2021) doi: 10.1039/D0TB02372H