A mouse with a flashy brain

Recently researchers have identified several short, α-helical peptide sequences that are capable of transporting large protein cargo or hydrophilic molecules such as dyes or drugs through the lipid bilayer into cells. These peptides, known as cellpermeable peptides or transduction peptides, have found applications in both basic research and therapeutic purposes. However, peptides are expensive to make and can be biodegraded in vivo. In this issue Selwood and colleagues used the α-helix as a structural guide to design small-molecule transduction agents. They showed that these small molecule carriers, or SMoCs, could effectively transport dye molecules and recombinant proteins into a variety of cell types. Article p153, News & Views p119