News > Bacterial ‘nanosyringe’ could deliver gene therapy to human cells

Bacterial ‘nanosyringe’ could deliver gene therapy to human cells

17/04/2023 03:20 PM | Click to read full article

Researchers report refashioning Photorhabdus’s syringe system so that it can attach to human cells and inject proteins. Inside the caterpillar gut lives a worm, inside which lurks the bioluminescent bacterium Photorhabdus asymbiotica, which makes the caterpillar glow in the dark. Once attached to a cell, the syringe pushes a molecular spear through the cell’s membrane that releases a toxic payload that either kills the cells or edited genes.

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