Advances in Red Blood Cell-based Biomimetic Carriers for Drug Delivery

The evolution of drug delivery systems in the past decades has held great promise for enhancing efficacy of pharmacological agents, however, premature clearance from the circulation, toxic bioaccumulation, and inefficient site-specific delivery are still the major barriers to successful clinical translations. Bioinspired carriers possess natural components similar to the host, and hence are more biocompatible, less toxic, and less immunogenic. Among them, red blood cells (RBCs) possess unique features that make them attractive carriers for drug delivery. As the most abundant cell type in mammals, they are easy to be isolated and can be easily handled by means of several techniques. Mature RBCs of mammals lack the cell nucleus and most of the organelles, which provides the maximum space for loading drugs. Their excellent endurance and tensile strength to travel in the fast-flowing vasculature for about 120 days in humans could prolong the life-time of drugs. Thus, more and more researches are focused on the use of RBC-based biomimetic carriers.

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