Cell Guidance Systems Blog

Embryo implantation is a tightly timed conversation between embryo and endometrium; one that has to coordinate adhesion, immune tolerance, tissue remodelling, and blood-vessel changes within a narrow window of implantation. A major set of words in that conversation are extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes; nano-sized packages released by cells that carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids (like miRNAs) to influence recipient cells.

Among all adult human tissues, the brain occupies the extreme low end of the mechanical stiffness spectrum. While the body contains structures engineered for load bearing, tension, and compression, the brain is optimized for signalling, plasticity, and metabolic exchange. Its mechanical softness is not incidental. It is fundamental to its biological function.

In cell biology, immunology, and drug development, cytokines and growth factors are rarely discussed purely in terms of mass. Instead, their potency is often expressed in International Units (IU) a convention that can confuse even experienced researchers. Why are some cytokines defined in IU, others sold only by weight, and why do IU values seem to vary between suppliers?

Studies reported in Science and Nature Materials using Softwell highlight the importance of softness in cell behaviour. The study of cell signalling has traditionally focused on chemical cues such as growth factors, cytokines, transcriptional regulators and, more recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) as the primary drivers of cell behaviour. Yet cells do not exist in isolation. Every cell resides in a physical environment that pushes, pulls, resists and deforms it. Increasingly, research is showing that this physical context is not secondary, but fundamental.

Biomed in 2026 will be shaped by a collision between maturing platforms (engineered cytokines, extracellular vesicles, gene therapy) meeting faster discovery tooling (AI) and tighter geopolitical and regulatory constraints (U.S. - China decoupling pressures; shifting U.S. science and health priorities under Trump-era policy).

If cytokines and growth factors send clear signals, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are complex chords. They have emerged as a powerful and versatile mode of communication. But how clear can the instructions from these complex particles be?

Researchers are turning to PODS sustained release chemokines to readily generate stable chemokine gradients in vitro and in vivo without any specialist equipment.

There is no single international standard for what qualifies as a rare disease. In the UE, it is a disease that affect fewer than 1 in 2000 people.

Since emerging in the last 20 years, expectations for exosomes have developed into hype in some areas. What is their real potential?

As new therapies emerge, charitable funding has become crucial, accelerating early research, supporting clinical trials, and offering renewed hope for affected children and families.