Evolution of artificial cells using nanobiotechnology of hemoglobin based RBC blood substitute as an example.

The original artificial red blood cells have evolved into oxygen carriers in the form of polyhemoglobin and conjugated hemoglobin. Clinical conditions requiring only oxygen carriers are responding well to these types of oxygen carriers without the need for a complete artificial red blood cell. For those conditions requiring more than just oxygen carriers, new generations of polyhemoglobin containing antioxidant enzymes are being developed. Though a complete artificial red blood cell comparable to red blood cell is still a dream, development in lipid membrane artificial red blood cells and biodegradable polymeric nano artificial red blood cells are steps towards this possibility. The many years of neglect on basic research in the area of blood substitutes have resulted in the lack of important basic knowledge needed for the rapid development of blood substitutes suitable for clinical use. This is further hampered by the mistaken conception that blood substitute is a single entity. We need to look at blood substitutes as consisting of progressively more complicated entities, e.g. oxygen carriers, oxygen carriers with antioxidant activity, and complete red blood cell substitutes. Each of these entities is not applicable to all clinical conditions, but is suitable for specific applications.