title: Synthetic approaches to RBC mimicry and oxygen carrier systems.
abstract: Whole blood or red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are highly significant, clinically, for blood replacement therapies in traumatic injuries, presurgical conditions, and anemias. However, natural RBC-based products suffer from limited shelf life due to pathological contamination and also present risks of refractoriness, graft-versus-host disease, immunosuppression, and acute lung injury. These issues can be only partially resolved by pathogen reduction technologies, serological blood testing, leukoreduction, and specialized storage; hence, they severely affect the efficacy and safety of the blood products. Consequently, there is a significant interest in synthetic RBC analogues that can mimic its oxygen-transport properties while allowing convenient manufacture, reproducibility, long shelf life, and reduced biological risks. To this end, the current Review provides a comprehensive description and discussion of the various research approaches and current state-of-the-art in synthetically mimicking RBC's oxygen-carrying biochemical properties, as well as the biophysical parameters (shape, size and mechanical modulus) that influence RBCs' hemodynamic transport properties in blood flow.
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio 44106, USA.
authors: Christa L
authors: CL
authors: Modery-Pawlowski
authors: Lewis L
authors: LL
authors: Tian
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Pan
authors: Anirban
authors: A
authors: Sen Gupta
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001802:Blood Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000737:chemistry; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001802:Blood Substitutes; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D006454:Hemoglobins; D011166:Porphyrins; D007501:Iron