Enzyme Replacement with Red Cells

Abstract

To the Editor: In their interesting studies of enzyme replacement therapy for adenosine deaminase deficiency, Polmar et al. (N Engl J Med 295:1337, 1976) suggest that plasma adenosine may have entered the transfused red cells and may have been metabolized there. They suggest that loading the patient's own red cells with purified human adenosine deaminase might be useful in circumventing the potential problems of iron overload, hepatitis and the development of antibodies against minor blood-group determinants. However, they have no knowledge of any attempts to infuse enzyme-loaded erythrocytes therapeutically in a human metabolic disease.Within the past year, we . . .