METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENCAPSULATION OF BIOLOGICALLY-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN CELLS

摘要

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the encapsulation of biologically-active substances in red blood cells, characterized by an optionally automated, continuous-flow self-contained electroporation system (10), as shown in the figure which allows withdrawal of blood from a patient (11), separation of red blood cells (44), encapsulation of a biologically-active substance in the cells (72), and optional recombination of blood plasma and the resulting modified red blood cells (96), thereby producing blood with modified biological characteristics. The present invention is particularly suited for use to encapsulate allosteric effectors of hemoglobin, thereby reducing the affinity of erythrocytes for oxygen and improving the release of oxygen from erythrocytes in tissues.