The Use of Resealed Erythrocytes as Carriers and Bioreactors

Until recently the only biomedical use of erythrocytes was in transfusion medicine to restore a normal oxygen delivery. The development of a technology that permits one to open and reseal erythrocytes has dramatically changed this perspective. Currently, a number of teams have shown that engineered erythrocytes can behave as circulating bioreactors for the degradation of toxic metabolites or the inactivation of xenobiotics, as drug delivery systems, as carriers of antigens of vaccinal interest,