16-Jan-2026
Revealing the cell’s nanocourier at work
Universitat Pompeu Fabra - BarcelonaPeer-Reviewed Publication
An international group of researchers led by Pompeu Fabra University has discovered the nanomachine that controls constitutive exocytosis: the uninterrupted delivery of spherical molecular packages to the cell surface. This is an essential activity present in virtually all organisms to preserve cell fitness and other vital functions such as communication with the cell’s exterior, cell growth and division. According to Oriol Gallego, who has led the research, “despite being one of the largest nanomachines in the cell, its short lifespan and dynamism made it very challenging to capture”. The discovery of this flexible and transient ‘nanocourier’ has required the combined power of multiple microscopes and artificial intelligence, yielding unprecedented information of a key process that occurs billions of times per day in our bodies. Moreover, the understanding of exocytosis may have profound implications for the treatment of some infections and rare diseases.
- Journal
- Cell
- Funder
- iNEXT-Discovery funding, Human Frontiers Science Program, Joan Oró AGAUR-FI grants