Erythrocyte-inspired delivery systems

Summary

This review organizes red-blood-cell-inspired drug delivery into four related strategies. The first directly loads therapeutic agents into natural erythrocytes. The second builds synthetic carriers that imitate red-cell mechanical or chemical-biological properties. The third uses vesicles prepared from isolated erythrocyte membrane, and the fourth cloaks synthetic nanoparticles with that membrane to combine cellular and engineered functions. The authors connect progress in each category to increasing knowledge of erythrocyte biology, including the features that permit long circulation and distinctive interactions in blood. The principal conclusion is that red-cell inspiration provides a spectrum from minimally modified living carriers to fully synthetic systems with selected biomimetic traits. This framework is significant because each category offers different control over cargo, mechanics, biological authenticity, and production. However, the abstract describes a forward-looking narrative review rather than a systematic comparison or clinical meta-analysis. It does not report which approach performs best, quantify circulation, loading, release, efficacy, or safety, or distinguish established applications from early concepts. Donor variability, cell and membrane sourcing, storage, cargo leakage, immune compatibility, repeated dosing, quality control, scale-up, and regulation differ across the four strategies and remain unresolved.