Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025

Cell Squeezing as a Robust, Microfluidic Intracellular Delivery Platform
Published on: November 7, 2013
Mechanistic Insights into the Tools for Intracellular Protein Delivery.
Jingwen Xie1, Jiajia Xiang1, Youqing Shen1
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials and Center for Bionanoengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China.
Intracellular protein delivery overcomes cell membrane barriers, enabling new therapies for previously undruggable targets. This review covers physical, chemical, and biological methods for functional protein transport into cells.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Medicine
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Proteins are vital therapeutics but are limited to extracellular targets due to cell membrane impermeability.
- Intracellular protein delivery is crucial for targeting previously "undruggable" cellular components.
- Modulating cellular functions precisely requires effective methods for delivering proteins inside cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review mechanisms and technologies for intracellular protein delivery.
- To categorize and analyze physical, chemical, and biological delivery approaches.
- To highlight advancements, challenges, and future opportunities in protein therapeutics.
Main Methods:
- Categorization of protein delivery methods into physical, chemical, and biological approaches.
- Examination of advantages and limitations of each delivery strategy.
- Analysis of emerging technologies facilitating protein transport across cell membranes.
Main Results:
- Physical methods offer direct entry but can be invasive and complex.
- Chemical strategies provide customization and control but may have cytotoxicity and scalability issues.
- Biological methods utilize natural processes for efficiency but face regulatory and production challenges.
Conclusions:
- Intracellular protein delivery technologies hold significant potential for novel therapeutic pathways.
- Overcoming cell membrane barriers is key to expanding the utility of protein-based drugs.
- Continued innovation in delivery methods will transform drug development paradigms for intracellular targets.
More Related Videos
11:24Direct Protein Delivery to Mammalian Cells Using Cell-permeable Cys2-His2 Zinc-finger Domains
Published on: March 25, 2015
10:30Delivery of Proteins, Peptides or Cell-impermeable Small Molecules into Live Cells by Incubation with the Endosomolytic Reagent dfTAT
Published on: September 2, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Protein Sorting and Transport
Protein sorting can be of two types: signal-based sorting and vesicle-based trafficking. In signal-based sorting, specific amino acid sequences called sorting signals target proteins to the proper location inside the cell either via gated transport or by protein translocation. In gated transport, folded...
Clathrin Coated Vesicles
Protein Transport into the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane
Transport of mitochondrial precursors across the TIM23 channel is driven by...
Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Protein Translocation Machinery on the ER Membrane
Sec61 protein conducting channel
In eukaryotes, the translocon complex comprises a core heterotrimeric translocator channel called the Sec61 complex. This channel includes three transmembrane proteins, Sec61α, Sec61β, and Sec61γ, and is the largest subunit of the...
ER Retrieval Pathway
The ER uses many checkpoints to prevent the entry of incorrectly folded or a resident protein as cargo onto a transport vesicle. These mechanisms...