Proteins are the workhorses of cells, adopting conformations that allow
them to set off chemical reactions, send signals and transport
materials. But when a scientist is designing a new drug, trying to
visualize the processes inside cells, or probe how molecules interact
with each other, they can't always find a protein that will do the job
they want. Instead, they often engineer their own novel proteins to use
in experiments, either from scratch or by altering existing molecules.
From left to right: Salk scientists Haiyan Ren, Lei Wang, and Zheng Xiang.
Image: Courtesy of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies |
Credit: http://www.salk.edu