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.

Research about LENN -- a patent-pending, virus-mimicking platform technology that targets bladder cancer cells with mRNA therapies -- highlights compelling features of the system with respect to size, targetability, encapsulation efficiency, complex stability, gene expression, and “green” manufacturability.

Communications in Transportation Research (COMMTR), ranked #1 in its field with an Impact Factor of 14.5, transitions from Elsevier to Tsinghua University Press starting Volume 6 (2026). The journal will be published fully on the SciOpen platform, enhancing global visibility, supporting open science, and offering a seamless submission and publishing experience.

A comprehensive perspective article, authored by over 40 experts across China, delineates this trajectory, presenting an integrated roadmap that intertwines standardization, pioneering research, personalized health management, and industrial innovation.