Red Blood Cells Engineered to Deliver Antibiotics
January 3, 2023 | Terry Sharrer
A few years ago scientists at McMasters University in Canada developed what they called “super-human red blood cells” – essentially, they pull out the innards of normal blood cells and stuff them full of drugs instead. When the hybrid blood cells are injected back into the body, they theoretically should be able to carry the drug payload safely, without the immune system attacking them. In the new study, the team tackled a remaining problem – how do you get the hybrid blood cells to home in on the desired target? They coated the outside of the blood cells in an antibody that targeted the bacteria species they were trying to kill, which makes them accumulate around the bugs and deliver their drug payload more precisely. MORE
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