Red Blood Cells for Drug Delivery

Red blood cells (RBCs), or erythrocytes, have been promising endogenous candidates for drug delivery for more than four decades. Armed with a better understanding of the diverse mechanisms and paths for drug delivery, researchers have achieved great progress in manufacturing RBC-based carriers, from both the scientific and clinical viewpoints. Here, the loading methods and loading therapeutics by RBC carriers are surveyed, and recent advances in the design of stimuli-triggered RBC carriers highlighted. Key developing trends and challenges, are also discussed, and an outlook is presented.