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Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (1998) 28, (1–6) (Printed in Great Britain)

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Erythrocyte engineering for drug delivery and targeting

Mauro Magnani*¹, Luigia Rossi*, Marcello D'Ascenzo*, Ivo Panzani†, Leonardo Bigi† and Andrea Zanella†

*Istituto di Chimica Biologica 'Giorgio Fornaini', Università degli Studi di Urbino, Via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, Italy, and †Di.De.Co. S.p.A., Via Statale 12 Nord, 41037 Mirandola (MO), Italy

¹ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

A new procedure for the encapsulation of non-diffusible drugs into human erythrocytes was developed. With as little as 50 ml of blood and by using a new apparatus, it was possible to encapsulate a variety of biologically active compounds into erythrocytes in 2 h at room temperature and under blood-banking conditions. The process, which is based on two sequential hypotonic dilutions of washed red cells followed by concentration with a haemofilter and resealing of red cells, allows a 35–50% cell recovery and approx. 30% encapsulation of added drugs. The resulting processed erythrocytes have a normal survival in vivo and can be modified further, with the same apparatus, to increase their recognition by tissue macrophages to perform as a drug-targeting system. The new equipment designed and built for this procedure was named 'Red Cell Loader'.

Received 22 December 1997/11 February 1998; accepted 12 February 1998

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