Red Blood Cell-Encapsulated Nanoparticles for Long-Circulating, Improved Specificity Functional MRI

Nanoparticle-based MRI contrast agents have shown promise for advancing noninvasive imaging, but their clinical utility is limited by rapid clearance, poor biocompatibility, and lack of sustained signal. Here, we present a red blood cell (RBC)-based nanocarrier platform that encapsulates superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) following hypotonic dialysis and resealing of the cell membranes. This biomimetic “Trojan horse” strategy exploits the inherent circulation time, deformability, and biocompatibility of RBCs to prolong the nanoparticle lifetime and enhance the translational potential. In vivo rodent studies demonstrated that SPION-loaded human RBCs provide robust, long-lasting cerebral blood volume (CBV)-weighted functional (f) MRI signal with >5-fold magnitude stronger responses over conventional/established blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast. In addition, functional brain mapping using cell encapsulated SPIONs show improved laminar specificity, with activity localized to cortical layer IV. Compared with free SPIONs, loaded cells achieved >30 min of stable T2* contrast at one-quarter of the iron dose, while maintaining physiologically plausible CBV maps. These findings confirm efficacy and establish RBC encapsulation as a versatile and biocompatible nanomedicine platform for extending nanoparticle circulation and enabling high-resolution functional imaging with broad implications for translational applications in neurology, oncology, and theragnostics.