BEIJING, May 1 (WAM) - Chinese scientists have developed an intelligent technique that turns red blood cells into “delivery vehicles” to deliver genetic instructions to immune cells inside the body, transforming them into cancer-fighting agents.

While current CAR-T therapies rely on removing T-cells from the patient and modifying them in a laboratory, a process that can take weeks and cost a fortune, a research team from West Lake Laboratory in Hangzhou, led by Dr. Xiao Jian Ni, has offered a promising alternative through a platform called “mRNA-LNP-Ery”.

This platform relies on anchoring nanometer-scale lipid particles loaded with mRNA to the surface of red blood cells, making them ready for injection into the body, where they deliver instructions directly to myeloid cells (such as macrophages) that play a pivotal role in the tumor microenvironment. Once these cells receive the instructions, they begin producing CAR receptors that enable them to recognize and engulf cancerous cells.

The researchers chose red blood cells because they are abundant, biologically compatible, and distributed throughout the body, as well as their ability to bypass immune surveillance systems in the spleen, which had hindered previous attempts.

In animal models, the engineered cells demonstrated multiple capabilities: infiltrating tumors, destroying cancerous cells, and reshaping the tumor microenvironment to enhance the polarization of T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells.

These results are still preclinical, but the researchers say their clinically translatable platform simplifies manufacturing, reduces costs and expands access to treatment, bringing personalized cancer therapies closer to “ready for use.”

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