cell & molecular biology, drug development

Unwilling to accept the finality of terminal differentiation, Helen Blau has honed techniques that showcase the flexibility of cells to adopt different identities.

Cell culture goes 3-D with devices that better mimic in vivo conditions.

Critics point out that cell therapy has yet to top existing treatments. Biotech companies are setting out to change that—and prove that the technology can revolutionize medicine.

Wales creates a database of DNA barcodes for all of its native flowering plants, hoping to guide conservation and drug development efforts.

With strong foundations in both art and science, Ahna Skop has been able to capture the marvel of—and mechanisms behind—cytokinesis.

The researcher who helped develop an Alzheimer's treatment now in clinical trials warns that the compound may actually impair memory.

New research suggests that circular RNA transcripts are not as rare as previously thought.

Editor's choice in cell biology

Despite years of research, the longstanding mystery of where the autophagosome gets its double lipid bilayers is not much clearer.

Compounds we perceive as sweet or bitter in the mouth trigger similar receptors and signaling pathways elsewhere in the body, helping to regulate digestion, respiration, and other systems.

By selectively killing senescent cells, researchers can slow the decline of health in aging mice.

Exploiting the unique properties of living systems makes synthetic biologists better engineers.

Researchers design a synthetic bacterium that kills the infectious microbe Pseudomonas aeruginosa, sacrificing itself in the process.

A UK panel puts forth guidelines for research that use experimental animals harboring human cells and tissues.

These small membrane vesicles do much more than clean up a cell’s trash—they also carry signals to distant parts of the body, where they can impact multiple dimensions of cellular life.

Meet the species whose DNA has recently been sequenced.

A snapshot of the most highly ranked articles in molecular biology, from Faculty of 1000.

Ron Kaback didn’t believe that electrochemical gradients could power the transport of sugars and amino acids across cell membranes—until he proved that they do.

Does mitochondrial dysfunction lie at the heart of common, complex diseases like cancer and autism?

A biologist and a physicist collaborate on a decade-long exploration of the physical parameters of membrane traffic in eukaryotic cells.