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Bacteriophage genome-wide transposon mutagenesis A technique enabling phage transposon mutagenesis and sequencing reveals previously unknown non-essential and fitness-conferring genes in both jumbo phages and base-modified phages. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00750-6?rss=yes cell.com
Auxin signaling The hormone auxin is central to plant growth and development. Auxin triggers slow nuclear gene-expression changes and fast cell-surface signaling within minutes. This review summarizes new mechanistic advances that reshape the classic view and link rapid and slow responses into a more integrated picture. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00744-0?rss=yes cell.com
The silicon citizen naturalist Smartphone-wielding citizen scientists and an AI called FLORIST are transforming ecology at the continental scale. In this issue of Cell, when Tibbs-Cortes et al. pair the crowdsourced data with controlled genetics, they discover how switchgrass times its flowering to outwit both frost and heat, depending on latitude. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00800-7?rss=yes cell.com
Do autoantibodies shape cancer immunosurveillance? Why cancer arises, progresses, or proves fatal in some people but not others remains largely unresolved. Antibody repertoires, including autoantibodies targeting immune pathways, may shape cancer immunosurveillance. Mapping antibody landscapes across cancer-free, at-risk, and cancer-affected individuals could clarify their roles in cancer susceptibility and disease outcome. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00708-7?rss=yes cell.com
UTR-ly unexpected: RNA chaperones tame intrinsically disordered proteins How do cells ensure that complex, multidomain proteins fold correctly? Luo et al. reveal a self-contained solution. The 3′UTR of an mRNA co-translationally chaperones the protein it encodes, preventing intrinsically disordered regions from making inappropriate contacts. This functionality, localized to mesh-like condensates, challenges Anfinsen’s dogma and opens therapeutic possibilities. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00710-5?rss=yes cell.com
A spliceosome-independent eukaryote generated by complete intron removal Elimination of all spliceosomal introns reveals a spliceosome-independent eukaryote. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00624-0?rss=yes cell.com
Photosynthetic medicine: Engineering a plant-derived nanofoundry to power mammalian cells Mammalian eyes receive constant visible light yet lack photosynthesis. Xing et al. engineer an intact thylakoid grana nanoparticle enabling light-driven NADPH production within corneal cells, restoring antioxidant defenses and interrupting inflammatory cycles in dry eye disease. This work positions borrowed photosynthesis as a therapeutic strategy for oxidative, light-exposed tissue pathologies. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00518-0?rss=yes cell.com
Recent advances in Alzheimer’s disease: From molecular mechanisms to therapeutic strategies Alzheimer’s disease is driven by pathological brain changes that progressively impair memory and cognition, with current treatment options being limited. Advances in early, biomarker-based diagnosis and amyloid-targeting and other disease-modifying approaches are beginning to slow disease progression in clinical studies. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00655-0?rss=yes cell.com
Bridging omics and physiology to build multimodal clocks of human aging Human aging is a heterogeneous, multi-system process that spans molecular, tissue, and physiological decline. In this issue of Cell, Li et al. integrate clinical data, multi-omics, and organ-associated signatures to construct a multi-layer framework for quantifying biological aging across scales. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00705-1?rss=yes cell.com
Rewriting Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy In this issue of Cell, Guo et al. report the development of a new exon-skipping, RNA-editing-based therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The dual mechanism of action through both ADAR-dependent and -independent pathways has the potential to be more effective and require a lower dosing frequency than currently available ASO-based exon-skipping treatments. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00698-7?rss=yes cell.com
Map of spiking activity underlying change detection in the mouse visual system Large-scale Neuropixels recordings across the mouse visual system during an image-change detection task map how sensory, motor, and task engagement signals are distributed across the cortex, thalamus, and midbrain. Task and novelty signals differentially modulate activity along this hierarchy, and combined decoding and optogenetics suggest mice detect changes via an adaptation-based strategy within a critical time window. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00745-2?rss=yes cell.com
LEF1 and niche factors determine T cell stemness across chronic diseases In settings of persistent antigen, such as autoimmunity and chronic infection, stem-like CD8 T cells sustain antigen-specific immune responses. Here, LEF1 and niche-derived factors are identified as essential regulators of T cell stemness across chronic diseases. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00709-9?rss=yes cell.com
Whole-cell particle-based digital twin simulations from 4D lattice light-sheet microscopy data Mesoscale intracellular organelle dynamics are modeled using a whole-cell digital twin framework that integrates live-cell 4D (x, y, z, and t) lattice light-sheet microscopy with particle-based reaction-diffusion simulations. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00697-5?rss=yes cell.com
Arc mediates intercellular tau transmission via extracellular vesicles Tau pathology spreads cell to cell in Alzheimer’s disease, but the molecular mechanisms are unclear. This study found that the capsid-forming protein Arc binds and packages tau into extracellular vesicles that are released from neurons, which eliminates toxic intracellular tau and promotes intercellular tau transmission. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00695-1?rss=yes cell.com
Electromagnetic field-inducible in vivo gene switch for remote spatiotemporal control of gene expression (Cell 189, 3465–3480.e1–e23; May 28, 2026) https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00707-5?rss=yes cell.com
Multimodal targeting chimeras enable integrated immunotherapy leveraging tumor-immune microenvironment (Cell 187, 7470–7491.e1–e20; December 26, 2024) https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00706-3?rss=yes cell.com
CAR T targets: AI takes the wheel Identifying safe and effective targets remains a major bottleneck for CAR T cell therapies. In this issue of Cell, Baker and colleagues developed a large language model (LLM)-assisted scoring framework to streamline this process and as a result identified and validated glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) as a candidate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T target across melanoma, leukemia, and colorectal cancer. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00652-5?rss=yes cell.com
Excessive vascular integrity restricts anti-tumor immunity Vessel normalization aims to correct the abnormal vasculature in the tumor to improve drug delivery and immune control. In this issue of Cell, Wang et al. identify an immune-excluding vasculature in small-cell lung cancer, where excessive vessel integrity drives immune desertification, and propose “reverse normalization” to restore immune access and overcome immunotherapy resistance. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00634-3?rss=yes cell.com
A new sense for electrical fields Most cells polarize and migrate in response to electrical fields. In this issue of Cell, Belliveau et al. identify TMEM154/Galvanin, a receptor that serves as a cellular antenna to sense electrical gradients and guide migration toward the cathode. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00638-0?rss=yes cell.com
A disinhibitory basal forebrain-to-cortex projection supports sustained attention A long-range inhibitory projection from the basal forebrain disinhibits the cortex to amplify sensory responses. This circuit encodes motivational salience and predicts moment-to-moment attentional performance, providing a mechanism for the real-time control of sustained attention. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00646-X?rss=yes cell.com
AI-driven discovery of GPNMB CAR T cells as a multi-cancer therapy An AI-guided framework integrating high-resolution cellular atlases, public knowledge databases, and large language models enables a modular framework for CAR T cell target discovery. GPNMB emerged as a versatile candidate antigen, enabling the development of GPNMB CAR T cells with potent activity in multiple xenograft mouse models of cancer. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00651-3?rss=yes cell.com
The cGAS-STING pathway: Mechanism and medical implications This review covers the biology of the cGAS-STING pathway, the cell’s alarm system that shapes immune and stress responses with impacts on a range of processes, from antiviral defense and tumor immunity to chronic inflammation and disease. The underlying biology of cGAS and STING signaling will guide new therapeutics. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00650-1?rss=yes cell.com
Proteomic analysis of dental enamel from 20 Homo naledi individuals shows no male markers The morphological homogeneity of the middle Pleistocene hominin Homo naledi is reflected in its dental proteome, with no evidence supporting confident identification of male individuals, and the detection of both derived and ancestral amino acid substitutions in Homo naledi. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00644-6?rss=yes cell.com
Multimodal imaging of gene expression, morphology, and activity of the same neuron This study establishes an imaging-based multimodal characterization (IMC) platform to link in vivo activity, whole-brain morphology, and spatial gene expression in the same cortical projection neurons. Applied to the mouse visual cortex, IMC reveals complementary morphological and molecular predictors of visual responses, identifies a neuronal subtype defined by trimodal profiling, and provides a ground-truth resource for multimodal integration. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00641-0?rss=yes cell.com
Cellular architecture and neighborhood-informed virtual spatial tumor profiling from histopathology CANVAS is a computational platform that decodes spatial tumor ecosystems from routine H&E histopathology to enable population-level prognostic modeling and immunotherapy response. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00590-8?rss=yes cell.com
A CRISPR knockout mouse library for functional genomics in influenza research A CRISPR-Cas9-generated gene-modified mouse library provides a platform for systematic in vivo screening of influenza host factors, identifying 17 genes, including Arhgef28 and Lasp1, whose ablation protects mice from influenza A virus infection. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00591-X?rss=yes cell.com
Gregory J. Hannon (1964–2026) Gregory J. Hannon passed away in April 2026 at the age of 61. A towering figure in modern molecular biology, Greg influenced remarkably diverse areas of science. His work reshaped our understanding of gene regulation, advanced the discovery of tumor suppressors that regulate the cell-cycle machinery, and uncovered fundamental mechanisms of RNA interference. By establishing core principles of small RNA biology, he not only transformed our mechanistic view of RNA-silencing pathways but also pioneered functional genomics approaches that revolutionized basic and biomedical research in mammalian systems. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00640-9?rss=yes cell.com
Cysteine’s metabolic fork: Sulfur partitioning shapes T cell function T cells live or die by their metabolism, yet one nutrient can serve very different ends. In this issue of Cell, Kelly et al. show that cysteine’s sulfur is partitioned between glutathione and iron-sulfur cluster synthesis. This routing drives CD8+ T cell proliferation, effector function, and anti-tumor immunity. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00570-2?rss=yes cell.com
Catching waves of polyploids In this issue of Cell, Chen et al. analyze angiosperm genomes to map whole-genome duplication events, revealing non-random waves of polyploidy linked to climatic shifts and periods of low diversity. They suggest polyploids may have preferentially established during periods of environmental stress, shaping plant evolutionary history across multiple global events. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00574-X?rss=yes cell.com
Connecting transcriptional control to RNA velocity and cell fate RNA velocity can predict the direction of cell-state change, but the regulatory programs shaping these changes remain difficult to identify. In this issue of Cell, Wang et al. introduce RegVelo, a framework that integrates gene regulatory networks into RNA velocity analysis to nominate candidate regulators that may bias cell fate. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00588-X?rss=yes cell.com
Two distinct causes contribute to the low efficiency of human pre-implantation development Live imaging covering the entire human pre-implantation development reveals that the second mitotic division is the most error-prone, where stochastic centriole overduplication predisposes 2-cell embryos to missegregating chromosomes and arresting before the 8-cell stage. By contrast, later embryonic arrest involves endoplasmic reticulum stress. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00637-9?rss=yes cell.com
Transposable element DNA and RNA: Drivers of gene expression, evolution, and disease Transposable elements, far from being genomic clutter, have emerged as dynamic genomic regulators that shape when, where, and how genes are turned on across development and disease. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00520-9?rss=yes cell.com
Charting human cellular senescence in aging and disease Cellular senescence comprises diverse cell states emerging across human tissues during aging and disease. Integrating single-cell and spatial multi-omics with AI-driven analyses enables systematic mapping of senescent cell heterogeneity (“senotypes”), revealing tissue-specific programs and microenvironmental interactions. These advances provide frameworks for biomarker discovery and development of targeted senotherapeutic strategies. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00587-8?rss=yes cell.com
Long-term reversal of Duchenne muscular dystrophy via circular arRNA-guided exon skipping in monkeys and humans Circular ADAR-recruiting RNAs enable programmable exon skipping to bypass out-of-frame mutations in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and restore dystrophin expression. LEAPER 2.0 shows sustained efficacy in nonhuman primates and early clinical promise in patients, supporting circ-arRNA-mediated RNA editing as a translatable therapeutic strategy. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00589-1?rss=yes cell.com
Continuous modeling of primate embryogenesis from totipotency to early organogenesis A primate embryoid system is established from cynomolgus totipotent blastomere-like cells. This fertilization-independent system recapitulates development from a totipotent-like state through an intermediate 8CMLC stage to early organogenesis with neural-tube-like structures and cardiac-like beating activity. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00582-9?rss=yes cell.com
RNA structure programs endogenous ADAR for precise and efficient editing LEAPER 3.0, a structurally optimized dual-bulge ADAR-recruiting RNA design platform, achieves precise and efficient endogenous A-to-I RNA editing across diverse ADAR contexts. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00514-3?rss=yes cell.com
DNA repair drives cisplatin-induced neuronal death In neurons, cisplatin-induced DNA damage is repaired by NER, but low dNTP pools cause NER to promote death rather than survival. Deoxynucleoside supplementation or genetic upregulation of dNTP synthesis replenishes nucleotides and protects neurons from cisplatin, suggesting nucleoside therapy may mitigate chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00584-2?rss=yes cell.com
Persistent and transient senescent cells contribute to brain-barrier development Senescent cell states arise across brain-barrier cell types during development but diverge in duration and function. Endothelial cells and macrophages enter a transient, inflammatory state, whereas choroid plexus epithelial cells maintain a persistent, non-inflammatory state supporting long-term barrier function. These cells are required for brain-barrier formation and function. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00581-7?rss=yes cell.com
mRNA 3′ UTRs chaperone intrinsically disordered regions to control protein activity Highly conserved mRNA 3′ UTRs act as co-translational chaperones for intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), preventing inter-domain misfolding and enabling biogenesis of fully active proteins. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00576-3?rss=yes cell.com
Plasma signals of lung tumor promotion for molecular cancer prevention A 14-protein plasma signature identifies individuals benefiting from anti-IL-1β-based lung cancer risk reduction and demonstrates how diverse tumor-promoting factors converge on the induction of an alveolar transitional state that underlies lung tumorigenesis. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00522-2?rss=yes cell.com
Single-cell mapping of regulatory DNA-protein interactions D&D-seq, a single-cell immune-tethering strategy, captures weak and transient DNA-protein interactions to enable integrated, genome-wide analysis of transcription factor binding across chromatin states. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00573-8?rss=yes cell.com
Deep learning of functional perturbations from condensate morphology A deep learning method quantitatively decodes nucleolar, nuclear speckle, and viral condensate morphology to reveal underlying biochemical states. Applying this framework reveals a previously unrecognized role for TOP1 in ribosome biogenesis and nucleolar organization. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00569-6?rss=yes cell.com
Paleogenomes reveal the evolutionary relationship between modern and cave lions Paleogenomic analysis of cave lions spanning >100 kya shows that extinct cave lions formed a long-diverged evolutionary lineage from modern lions, with distinct demographic histories and lineage-specific functional variation. Evidence of Late Pleistocene gene flow between cave and modern lions provides insight into the ecology and extinction dynamics of one of the Northern Hemisphere’s most influential megafaunal predators. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00524-6?rss=yes cell.com
Explosive cytotoxicity of ruptoblasts bridges hormone surveillance and immune defense Ruptoblasts are a cytotoxic glandular cell type that undergoes explosive cell death, ruptosis, releasing potent, broad-spectrum agents capable of killing nearby cells. Ruptosis is triggered by the hormone and cytokine activin and driven by ER-derived calcium release amplified by the actomyosin cytoskeleton. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00567-2?rss=yes cell.com
Decoding the spatiotemporal development of human meninges A spatiotemporal atlas of the human meninges during early-to-mid gestation identifies asynchronous layer development and transcriptomic features of meningeal cells and demonstrates that pial fibroblasts recruit several meningeal macrophages via CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling to regulate Cajal-Retzius cell development. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00507-6?rss=yes cell.com
Physiological brain clearance architecture revealed by neuronal protein tracing Neuronal protein tracing, unlike CSF tracers, reveals that brain clearance follows a “nearest exit” principle through distinct border immune niches disrupted differently by disease. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00515-5?rss=yes cell.com
Fronto-insular circuit mechanisms of accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (Cell 189, 3071–3090.e1–e27; May 14, 2026) https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00580-5?rss=yes cell.com
Mesenchymal drift: A convergent framework for the hallmarks of aging Aging is marked by a systemic loss of tissue homeostasis. This review focuses on mesenchymal drift, where cells progressively lose lineage identity and acquire mesenchymal traits, as a convergent framework that integrates and fuels the hallmarks of aging, forming a potentially targetable molecular network to restore identity and counter multiple age-related pathologies. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00455-1?rss=yes cell.com
Autoantibodies in long COVID: A mechanistic foothold in a heterogeneous disease Long COVID is a heterogeneous, multi-system disease that poses challenges for patients, health systems, and economies. Two papers in Cell and Cell Reports Medicine from independent groups suggest that autoantibodies in a subset of long COVID patients can directly drive symptoms such as pain, fatigue, or neurocognitive problems. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00511-8?rss=yes cell.com
A causal link between autoantibodies and neurological symptoms in long COVID Passive transfer of IgG from long COVID patients induces pain behavior accompanied by intraepidermal nerve fiber damage in mice. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00509-X?rss=yes cell.com
