From Circulation to Regeneration: Blood Cell Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Platform for Immune-Regenerative Therapy

TL;DR

This review explores how nanoparticles coated with blood cell membranes can deliver drugs safely and effectively for immune-regenerative therapies.

Contribution

The paper systematically reviews advances in blood cell membrane-coated nanocarriers for immune-regenerative therapy and clinical translation challenges.

Findings

Blood cell membrane-coated nanoparticles offer immune evasion and targeted drug delivery.

Hybrid and engineered membrane systems improve therapeutic efficacy through immune regulation.

Challenges include source variability, scalability, and regulatory standardization.

Abstract

Cell membrane-coated nanoparticles represent a biomimetic drug delivery approach that integrates biological membrane functions with synthetic nanomaterials. Among the various membrane sources, those derived from blood cells such as red blood cells, platelets, and leukocytes offer distinctive advantages, including immune evasion, prolonged systemic circulation, and selective tissue targeting. These properties collectively enable efficient and biocompatible delivery of therapeutic agents to diseased tissues, minimizing off-target effects and systemic toxicity. This review focuses on blood cell membrane-derived nanocarriers as drug delivery and immune-regenerative platforms, in which membrane-mediated immunomodulation synergizes with therapeutic payloads to address inflammatory or degenerative pathology. We discuss recent advances in blood cell membrane coating technologies, including membrane isolation, nanoparticle core selection, fabrication techniques, and the development of hybrid and engineered membrane systems that enhance therapeutic efficacy through integrated immune regulation and localized drug action. To illustrate these advances, we also compile membrane type-specific nanocarrier systems, summarizing their core nanoparticle designs, coating strategies, therapeutic cargoes, and associated disease models. Challenges related to biological source variability, scalability, safety, and regulatory standardization remain important considerations for clinical translation. In this review we systematically address these issues and discuss emerging solutions and design strategies aimed at advancing blood cell membrane-based nanocarriers toward clinically viable immune-regenerative therapies.

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