The most read stories in cell biology range from metabolism to the future of biomedical research models.
This past year, we explored a lot of new cell biology research—from cancer to plants to microbes, and more! It’s hard to believe what can fit in a year. Yet as we say goodbye to 2025, we want to take a moment to look back on some of our most popular stories in cell biology. Make sure you catch these stories before we break new ground in 2026.
Cysteine depletion converted white adipocytes into heat-generating brown adipocytes in mice.
Dixit laboratory, Yale School of Medicine
All good science is built on previous knowledge, and metabolism research is no different. With this in mind, a research team at Yale School of Medicine teased apart the mechanism behind why cutting out certain amino acids helped animals and people lose weight. They saw that people trying to lose weight had altered cysteine metabolism. When they studied this in mice, they found that decreasing the presence of cysteine increased the development of brown adipose tissue by activating the sympathetic nervous system, promoting weight loss.
Sometimes, though, scientific findings turn research on its head. This was the case when researchers at the University of California, Irvine showed that a novel type of fat-enriched chondrocyte, a cartilage-producing cell, was responsible for the unique cartilage in our ears and noses. The work was the culmination of a decade studying quirky fat cells that behaved differently from other adipocytes. As a middle ground between typical adipose tissue and cartilage, the “lipo-cartilage” offers new insights into biomechanics and regenerative medicine.
Going off of advances in regeneration, scientists sank their teeth—or, biopsy punches—into questions about why some cuts heal with a scar while others leave no trace of injury. When the researchers compared oral and facial wounds in mice, they found that these sites recruited different types of immune cells to the damaged area. This difference was largely due to the expression of genes in a pathway involved in responding to mechanical stimuli. This led to more inflammatory cells and fibroblasts being recruited to the wound site. The scientists hope that the findings can improve therapies for wound care.
Beyond treatment for physical injuries, researchers are also exploring ways to protect cells from damage caused by cancer therapies. Scientists at the University of Minnesota turned to the hardy tardigrade, known for its radiation resistance via a damage-suppressing protein. The researchers developed a nanoparticle that delivered mRNA for this protein to noncancerous cells in the oral cavities of mice that also had oral tumors. They showed that this treatment protected these cells from radiation without affecting the tumor’s response to the therapy.
While many of the studies featured this year are exciting scientific advancements, the reality is that most have a significant drawback: They are done in animals. As researcher Donald Ingber pointed out in this opinion piece, while animal models have their important uses, they poorly replicate humans. In response to this challenge, the FDA announced their goal to replace animal testing with models such as AI, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip technology earlier this year. Ingber explained the potential and current pitfalls of these technologies for reducing the use of animals in research.
Catriona Jamieson, a stem cell biologist at the University of California, San Diego, investigates how space travel affects cells in the human body.
UC San Diego Health Sciences
Finally, as an example of phasing out animal testing, researchers are already pursuing cell biology questions in human studies. Stem cell biologist Catriona Jamieson, at the University of California, San Diego, read about how space altered the molecular profiles of astronauts’ cells in NASA’s Twin Study. To get into more molecular detail, she focused on the effects in hematopoietic stem and precursor cells (HSPCs). After sending HSPCs from human bone marrow to the International Space Station, she and her team showed that these cells aged faster and had decreased self-renewal. These findings could help researchers think about how to protect astronauts on longer spaceflights.
