Drug delivery by red blood cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pharmacology
• Hematology

Background:

• Drug delivery aims to enhance therapeutic efficacy and minimize toxicity through novel materials and drug properties.
• Medical devices are being developed to facilitate advanced drug delivery methods.
• Autologous Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are explored as carriers for intravascular drug release.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize information and experience on using autologous RBCs for drug delivery within the vascular system.
• To focus on the mechanisms of drug distribution via carrier RBCs and provide illustrative examples.
• To explore the potential of entrapping recombinant drug-binding proteins into autologous RBCs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing information and author's experience with RBC-based drug delivery.
• Focus on mechanisms of drug distribution using RBC carriers.
• Description of a new strategy involving engineered RBCs with entrapped drug-binding proteins.

Main Results:

• Autologous RBCs can serve as carriers for drug delivery in the vascular system.
• Mechanisms for drug distribution via carrier RBCs are available and illustrated.
• A new approach involves engineering RBCs to bind and transport drugs via entrapped proteins.

Conclusions:

• Engineered RBCs offer a dynamic circulating container for drug delivery.
• This approach can stabilize drug concentrations, enhance efficacy, and reduce toxicity.
• Further development of this RBC-based drug delivery modality is promising.