Between 0.25-0.75% of the 15 million transfusions of red blood cells (RBCs) in the United States result in transfusion-related adverse reactions, defined as events resulting in further diagnostic or theraputic intervention. Among the many chemical changes RBCs undergo during storage is a depletion of glucose reserves after 1-2 weeks, resulting in changes in RBC funtion and mechanics. The goal of our research is to control glucose release from polymer capsules and hydrogels (Figure 1) over two or more months, and to combine slow-releasing systems with stored RBCs to determine what effects euglycemic conditions have on stored blood. While several studies have focused on glucose-triggered release of capsule contents, few have encapsulated glucose itself. Instead of focusing on a triggering event, our work relies on the slow diffusion of glucose through capsule walls. We have studied a variety of polymer capsule systems and will present results on glucose release profiles.

Controlling glucose release from polymer microcapsules

245th National Meeting (2013)

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