Bacterial syringes can puncture the membrane of a cell and inject therapeutic protein directly into it. Scientists are trying to figure out how to reprogram this syringe for use in human cells or other types of animal cells. A computer program called AlphaFold was used to predict what the molecular shape of this latching mechanism looks like. Based on that prediction, they then engineered a way to replace the component that recognizes an insect cell with a component that can recognize humans.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode