Patent ID: 6974698

Claim:
A method for delivering a protein, enzyme, vitamin, vaccine, transcription factor, hormone, carbohydrate, lipid, or nucleic acid into a cell comprising: 1) covalently linking a molecule to the cell surface, wherein the molecule can act as a surface receptor, 2) complexing the protein, enzyme, vitamin, vaccine, transcription factor, hormone, carbohydrate, lipid, or nucleic acid with a ligand for the surface receptor, and 3) contacting the protein, enzyme, vitamin, vaccine, transcription factor, hormone, carbohydrate, lipid, or nucleic acid-ligand complex with the cell surface, whereby the protein, enzyme, vitamin, vaccine, transcription factor, hormone, carbohydrate, lipid, or nucleic acid is delivered into the cell, wherein the covalently linked molecule is biotin and the ligand is avidin or streptavidin.