The Yeates laboratory and collaborators have designed protein molecules that self-assemble to form molecular cages with dimensions in the mid-nanometer range. The recent work, published in Science on June 1, brings to fruition a strategy proposed by Yeates and his former graduate students more than ten years ago. A second publication co-authored by Yeates in the same issue of Science — authored by former UCLA student Neil King, now in the laboratory of David Baker — describes a second new strategy for designing self-assembling protein materials. These protein-based cages open up new possibilities for biomedical applications. See UCLA Newsroom article.
