A team of researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tokyo has developed a method of controlling the biological activity of proteins using a hydrogel sensitive to light radiation. Dubbed PARCEL (for “Activation and Protein Release from Cage by External Light”), the technique is the encapsulation of proteins into a hydrogel, which blocks their biological activity. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, the hydrogel is cleaved, releasing the proteins found normal activity. In the past, other researchers were able to produce proteins that can be activated by radiation, but at the cost of structural changes of the past. However, the use of the hydrogel does not require any modification of active molecules.
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