diff --git a/indra/databases/context_client.py b/indra/databases/context_client.py
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/indra/databases/context_client.py
+++ b/indra/databases/context_client.py
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
+from __future__ import print_function, unicode_literals
 from indra.databases import ndex_client
 
 ndex_context = 'http://general.bigmech.ndexbio.org:8081/context/'
 
+# Python2
+try:
+    basestring
+# Python3
+except NameError:
+    basestring = str
+
 def get_protein_expression(gene_names, cell_types):
     """Return the protein expression levels of genes in cell types.
Update context_client to use Python3 basestring