A team of Italian researchers have used a person’s own red blood cells to deliver drugs into the body. Study leader Dr Mauro Magnani and his colleagues use a machine called the “Red Cell Loader” to attach drug molecules to the patient’s red blood cells and then carry out a conventional blood transfusion to transplant them back into the body. Preliminary results of a human trial of the technique suggest that it is both safe and effective. In one study researchers used the technique to deliver the steroid dexamethasone to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results showed that just one dose of the red blood cells was enough to maintain levels of the drug in the bloodstream for as long as 7 days. Meanwhile in another trial of cystic fibrosis sufferers, the drug was still detectable one month after the transplant. Magnani believes that the technique could also be used to deliver gene therapy.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 21st May 2002
