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How to put proteins into cells without harming them? Use a ‘Trojan horse’

human cells at microscopic level

Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo courtesy of Dr. Jean-Philippe Pellois

Scientists with Texas A&M AgriLife Research have found a “Trojan horse” way to deliver proteins into live human cells without damaging them.

The finding, published in this month’s Nature Methods, is expected to be easily adopted for use in medical research to find cures and treatments for a wide range of diseases, according to the team’s lead scientist, Dr. Jean-Philippe Pellois, an associate professor of biochemistry at Texas A&M University.

“This is something that for many years people have tried to do, because proteins are basic components of the cell. They are the molecules that are doing all kinds of jobs inside the cell,” Pellois said. “Being able to deliver a protein to change or study what the cell is doing is extremely useful.”

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