Engineered red blood cells as therapeutic agents

PSC-RED and MNC-RED: Albumin-free and low-transferrin robust erythroid differentiation protocols to produce human enucleated red blood cells

“…More general transfusion applications might also become possible in the future but the costs and technical difficulties involved in producing enough cells to treat large number of patients are major issues (Timmins and Nielsen, 2009). Genetically modified cRBCs that express therapeutic proteins are another highly promising avenue of research, because drugs carried by RBCs are spatially restricted to the lumen of the cardio-vascular system, are shielded from the immune system, and can have a longer half-life than drugs delivered directly to the plasma (Bouhassira, 2012;Magnani, 2017;Rousseau et al, 2014). Importantly, relatively small numbers of such cells could be clinically useful, greatly decreasing the technical barriers to translation.…”

Hybrid Erythrocyte Liposomes: Functionalized Red Blood Cell Membranes for Molecule Encapsulation

“…The evident advantage of using RBCs is an extended natural lifespan of these cells within the body, a greater biocompatibility, and a direct access to numerous target sites 8. With glucocorticoid analogue dexamethasone loaded RBCs, the first RBC‐based therapy reached the clinical stage9 as treatment of Ataxia‐telangiectasia, a rare neurodegenerative disease 10. The two common approaches described in the literature aim to encapsulate drugs and molecules within erythrocyte ghosts or attach reactive agents to RBCs 11–13.…”