Chinese scientists have developed a smart technology that turns red blood cells into "delivery vehicles" that carry genetic instructions to immune cells inside the body, transforming them into cancer fighters.
While current CAR-T therapies rely on extracting T cells from the patient and modifying them in the laboratory in a process that can take weeks and cost a fortune, a research team from the Westlake Laboratory in Hangzhou, led by Dr. Xiao Qian Ni, has offered a promising alternative via a platform called mRNA-LNP-Ery.
This platform works by attaching lipid nanoparticles loaded with genetic messages (mRNA) to the surface of red blood cells. These cells are then ready for injection into the body to deliver instructions directly to myeloid cells (such as macrophages) that play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment. Once these cells receive the instructions, they begin producing CAR receptors, which enable them to recognize and engulf cancer cells.
The researchers chose red blood cells because they are abundant, biocompatible, and distributed throughout the body, and because they are able to bypass the immune surveillance systems in the spleen that had thwarted previous attempts.
In animal models, cells engineered in this way demonstrated three-dimensional capability: infiltrating tumors, destroying cancer cells, and reshaping the tumor microenvironment to attract T cells and natural killer cells.
This success prompted Dr. Amy Pike, assistant editor of the journal Science Translational Medicine, to describe the work as "an innovative approach to the endogenous generation of effective immune cells."
But despite this significant leap forward, this technology does not mean the elimination of current CAR-T cell therapies. In a separate study conducted in New York and published in January 2026, researchers used a similar technique (producing CAR-T cells within the body) to target and destroy cells supporting fibrosis in the liver, opening the door to using this strategy for diseases other than cancer.
These results are still in the preclinical stage, but the researchers assert that their clinically translatable platform simplifies manufacturing, reduces costs, and expands access to treatment, bringing the era of personalized cancer therapies closer to a "ready-to-use" reality.
Dr. Ne summarizes this by saying: "Our results have established a red blood cell-based platform that enables the programming of immune cells within the body, and advances myeloablative CAR therapies for solid tumors."
