Innovative Drug Carriers: Mimicking Red Blood Cells for Enhanced Treatment Delivery
In the quest for more effective medical treatments, researchers are developing drug carriers that can navigate the body’s defenses and deliver medicine to specific sites like tumors. However, these carriers are often intercepted by the body’s immune and filtering organs before they can reach their target.
“Our immune system and filtering organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys are very effective at removing foreign materials from the bloodstream,” said Minkyu Kim, associate professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Engineering. “Many drug carriers are cleared too quickly, and higher doses are often needed to compensate, which increases side effects and reduces the effectiveness of treatment.”
Kim has been awarded a five-year, $1.88 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to develop a novel drug carrier that mimics red blood cells, potentially enhancing the delivery and efficacy of treatments.
“This award is an important validation of the work we’ve been doing and the ideas we’ve been developing over the past several years,” he noted.
Advancements in Drug Carrier Design
Over the last five decades, drug carriers have evolved significantly, from capsules designed to withstand stomach acid to microcarriers that are injected intravenously. Despite their small size, these carriers still face challenges, as the body’s defense systems can eliminate them before they reach their destination.
“At the same time, many blood-circulating carriers still face a common obstacle – the body’s defense and filtration systems can remove them before enough medicine reaches the target site,” Kim explained.
Red blood cells are known for their ability to circulate through the body for up to 120 days, adeptly navigating tiny blood vessels and maintaining their shape. This inspired Kim to explore synthetic microcarriers that emulate the red blood cell’s cytoskeleton, a protein network that provides flexibility and durability.
“Researchers have made important progress in mimicking different features of red blood cells,” Kim said. “My group is focusing on the internal protein network that helps red blood cells flex, recover and survive in circulation for long periods of time.”
His team, known as the Kim Research Group, aims to create protein-based structures for drug carriers that can evade early immune responses, targeting difficult-to-reach areas such as those involved in heart and brain disorders.
“Kim’s trail-blazing research will extend drug therapeutic levels and reduce dosage frequency, improving treatment effectiveness and avoiding possible organ damage,” added Mario Romero-Ortega, head of the biomedical engineering department. “Ultimately, this could increase quality of life during harsh treatments like chemotherapy.”
Doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers will evaluate the performance of these synthetic systems in the body, while undergraduate students will investigate the potential of protein-based biomaterials to enhance targeted drug delivery precision.
“Millions of patients depend on drug delivery systems,” Kim remarked. “If one day this research helps medicines reach the right place with fewer side effects, and patients are happier because of it, that would be the most rewarding outcome.”
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