RESEARCH: Scientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have exploited thousands of tiny capsules in cells to store vast amounts of biomaterial. Dubbed vaults – for their high arches reminiscent of cathedral ceilings – these naturally occurring capsules may prove less likely to elicit an immune response than foreign carriers like viruses.
IMPACT: The UCLA discovery will enable many potential applications, including:
AUTHORS: Leonard Rome, professor of biological chemistry and senior associate dean of research; Bruce Dunn, professor of material science and engineering; Jeffrey Zink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Valerie Kickhoefer, first author and associate research biochemist.
JOURNAL: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0500929102v1
FUNDING: The National Science Foundation supported the research.
(NOTE: Full manuscript and color images of vaults available upon request.)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences