MODIFIED ERYTHROCYTE PRECURSOR CELLS AND USES THEREOF

1 . A mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell genetically engineered to express a nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide that is not normally present on or in erythrocytes, wherein said polypeptide comprises an antigen.

2 . A mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell genetically engineered to express a nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide that is not normally present on or in erythrocytes, wherein said protein is a cytokine, a hormone, or insulin.

3 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 1 , wherein said antigen is a tumor antigen, a viral antigen, a bacterial antigen, or an antigen capable of inducing self-tolerance to the antigen in a subject to whom the antigen is administered.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 3 , wherein said tumor antigen is an antigen specific to or associated with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, bone and connective tissue sarcomas, brain cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, skin cancer, or prostate cancer.

6 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 3 , wherein (i) said tumor antigen is CA-125, alphafetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MUC-1, epithelial tumor antigen (ETA), tyrosinase, melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE), a protein resulting from mutation of ras, a protein resulting from mutation of p53, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a protein resulting from mutation of BRCA1, or a protein resulting from mutation of BRCA2; (ii) said viral antigen is an antigen derived from a protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus (influenza A virus influenza B virus, or influenza C virus), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, SARS Coronavirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis virus (A, B, C), ebola virus, herpes virus, rubella, variola major, or variola minor; (iii) said bacterial antigen is an antigen derived from a protein of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Bordetella pertussis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Plasmodium falciparum, Moraxella catarrhalis, Legionella, Pneumocystis jiroveci, Chlamydia psittaci, Chlamydia trachomatis, Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, rickettsia rickettsii, Salmonella, Yersinia pestis, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium diphtheriae , and Treponema pallidum ; or (iv) said antigen capable of inducing tolerance in a subject to whom the antigen is administered is an antigen derived from a protein known to be associated with an allergy or an autoimmune disease.

7 . (canceled)

8 . (canceled)

9 . (canceled)

10 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 6 , wherein said an allergy or autoimmune disease is Addison's disease, Behcet's disease, chronic active hepatitis, chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Churg-Strauss syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease), Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre, Myasthenia Gravis, Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, hay fever, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, food allergies, seasonal allergies, drug allergies, or animal allergies.

11 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 6 , wherein said antigen derived from a protein known to be associated with an allergy or an autoimmune disease is a peptide derived from insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD 65), heat shock protein 60 (HSP 60), hCDR1, HLA DR2, HLA DR3, HLA DR4, or PTPN22.

12 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 2 , wherein said cytokine is adrenomedullin (AM), angiopoietin (Ang), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), erythropoietin (Epo), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GNDF), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), interferon alpha, interferon beta, interferon gamma, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), growth differentiation factor (GDF-9), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), hepatoma derived growth factor (HDGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), migration-stimulating factor, myostatin (GDF-8), myelomonocytic growth factor (MGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), placental growth factor (P1GF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), thrombopoietin (Tpo), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); or (ii) said hormone is antimullerian hormone (AMH), adiponectin (Acrp30), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), angiotensin (AGT), angiotensinogen (AGT), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), vasopressin, atrial-natriuretic peptide (ANP), calcitonin (CT), cholecystokinin (CCK), corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), erythropoietin (Epo), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, estrogen, gastrin (GRP), ghrelin, glucagon (GCG), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), growth hormone (GH), growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human placental lactogen (HPL), inhibin, leutinizing hormone (LH), melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH), orexin, oxytocin (OXT), parathyroid hormone (PTH), prolactin (PRL), relaxin (RLN), secretin (SCT), somatostatin (SRIF), thrombopoietin (Tpo), thyroid-stimulating hormone (Tsh), or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH).

13 . (canceled)

14 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is a fusion protein with at least one domain of an erythrocyte-specific protein.

15 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 14 , wherein said erythrocyte-specific protein is hemoglobin, transferrin receptor protein 1 (CD71), band3, aquaporin 1, Glut1, kidd antigen protein, rhAG, ATPases, Gardos Channel, ICAM-4, BCAM, Protein 4.1R, glycophorin C, glycophorin D, XK, Duffy, Aducin, and Dematin.

16 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 1 , wherein said cell is further engineered to express a nucleic acid that encodes an immunomodulatory polypeptide.

17 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 16 , wherein said immunomodulatory polypeptide activates antigen presenting cells.

18 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 16 , wherein said immunomodulatory polypeptide comprises a toll-like receptor modulator, a type-4 toll-like receptor agonist, or galectin-1, galectin-3, LAG-3, or interleukin-10.

19 . (canceled)

20 . (canceled)

21 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 1 , wherein said cell is further engineered to express (i) a nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide that targets the cell for phagocytosis and/or (ii) at least one growth-promoting protein.

22 . (canceled)

23 . The mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 21 , wherein said growth-promoting protein is v-myc, N-myc, c-myc, p53, SV40 large T antigen, polyoma large T antigen, E1a adenovirus or E7 protein of human papillomavirus.

24 . Modified erythrocytes produced by the mammalian precursor cell of claim 1 .

25 . The modified erythrocytes of claim 24 , wherein the erythrocytes are (i) type O, type A, type B, or type AB and (ii) Rh negative or Rh positive.

26 . (canceled)

27 . (canceled)

28 . (canceled)

29 . The modified erythrocytes of claim 24 , wherein the erythrocytes are:

(a) blood type M, blood type N, blood type S, or blood type s;

(b) blood type P1;

(c) blood type Lua, blood type Lub, or blood type Lu(a);

(d) blood type K (Kell), k (cellano), Kpa, Kpb, K(a+), Kp(a−b−) or K-k-Kp(a−b−);

(e) blood type Le(a−b−), Le(a+b−) or Le(a−b+);

(f) blood type Fy a, Fy b or Fy(a−b−); or

(g) blood type Jk(a−b−), Jk(a+b−), Jk(a−b+) or Jk(a+b+).

30 . The modified erythrocytes of claim 24 , wherein said polypeptide that is not normally present on or in erythrocytes is a membrane-bound polypeptide or is a soluble protein contained within the interior of said erythrocyte.

31 . (canceled)

32 . A method of (i) treating cancer in a subject in need thereof; (ii) treating a viral disease or infection in a subject in need thereof; (iii) treating a bacterial disease or infection in a subject in need thereof; or (iv) inducing tolerance to a self antigen in a subject in need thereof,

comprising administering to the subject a modified erythrocyte produced by the mammalian erythrocyte precursor cell of claim 6 .

33 . (canceled)

34 . (canceled)

35 . (canceled)