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Jan Terje Andersen: Albumin Engineering Opens New Routes for Erythropoietin Delivery
Jan Terje Andersen/ous-research.no
Nov 2, 2026, 13:56

Jan Terje Andersen: Albumin Engineering Opens New Routes for Erythropoietin Delivery

Jan Terje Andersen, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at University of Oslo, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, published in Nature Communications, adding:

“Can we design protein medicines that last longer and can be delivered without needles?

In our new study in Nature Communications, we explored both possibilities by connecting the therapeutic protein erythropoietin (EPO) to an engineered version of human albumin.

The approach builds on a natural partnership: albumin binds to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), which protects it from degradation but also helps transport it across cellular barriers.

By engineering albumin, we improved the properties of EPO attached to it.

In mice expressing human FcRn, we show:

  1. A more than fivefold increase in plasma half-life compared with EPO fused to normal albumin, from 1.1 to 5.7 days.
  2. Uptake into the bloodstream following administration through the nose, with approximately fivefold greater exposure than the corresponding normal-albumin fusion.
  3. Preserved biological activity, supporting a sustained increase in red blood cells.

These are preclinical findings and show how our understanding of complex biology combined with protein engineering can open opportunities for longer-acting biologics and delivery across mucosal barriers.

Congratulations to first author Aina Karen Anthi, Daniela Bejan, Simone Mester, Sopisa Benjakul, Kristin Hovden Aaen, Inger Sandlie and all our collaborators who contributed to this work!

Nijaguna Bethur and Elena Gonzalo-Gil for a great collaboration on the use of The Jackson Laboratory human FcRn transgenic mice.

Funded by Norges forskningsråd, Novo Nordisk Foundation.”

Title: A human erythropoietin-albumin fusion protein tailored for enhanced plasma half-life and delivery across mucosal surfaces

Authors: Aina Karen Anthi, Daniela Bejan, Simone Mester, Nijaguna Bethur, Elena Gonzalo-Gil, Sopisa Benjakul, Kristin Hovden Aaen, Tilman Schlothauer, Inger Sandlie, Jan Terje Andersen

Jan Terje Andersen: Albumin Engineering Opens New Routes for Erythropoietin Delivery

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Aina Karen Anthi Albumin Daniela Bejan Elena Gonzalo-Gil Erythropoietin Health Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis News Hemostasis Today Inger Sandlie Jan Terje Andersen Kristin Hovden Aaen Medicine Nature Communications Nijaguna Bethur Norges forskningsråd Novo Nordisk Foundation Simone Mester Sopisa Benjakul Tilman Schlothauer
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