Discovery of protein drugs has been one of the major focuses in biotechnology. Conventional approach involves expression of the candidate protein in cultured cells, isolation of the expressed protein from cell extracts or medium, and assessment of its therapeutic activity by injecting the protein into an animal. This talk will describe a new approach toward identification of a therapeutic protein or for protein drug discovery. The strategy involves the development of gene delivery method to allow expression of the candidate gene directly in animals bearing a disease, thereby bypassing the need for preparation and administration of protein into animals. The talk will center around recent progress in development of synthetic carriers and physical method for gene delivery. The advantage and disadvantages of the delivery
systems, and their potential for gene therapy will also be discussed.