News & Views in 2023

Prime- and base-editor mouse models enable finely tuned, efficient functional studies of cancer-associated genetic changes.

A study of AAV gene therapy in monkeys proposes that integrated vectors may drive long-term transgene expression.

Two DNA nanodevices, RatiNa and pHlicker, provide precise mapping of sodium levels in acidic organelles and potassium activity at a single-organelle resolution.

Spatial transcriptomics offers a glimpse of how microbiomes interact with their hosts.

A model of the embryonic human trunk attains a more mature developmental stage than previous models.

Liposomes loaded with antibiotics eliminate intracellular bacteria in a colorectal cancer model, unleashing antitumor T cell immunity.

Neural connectivity in brain tissue is imaged by labeling the extracellular space.

A recently discovered RNA species on the cell surface is studied by proximity ligation.

Genetic engineering to block immune destruction of transplanted cells succeeds in macaques.

A general-purpose protein language model rapidly improves antibody properties.

A new approach to targeting mucins via protein degradation shows promise against cancer.

Transcription factors containing disordered regions can now be mapped across the genome, aiding functional studies.

Human glial progenitors transplanted into a chimeric mouse brain replace sick or older human glia, a finding that could one day lead to new treatments for neurological disease.

An automated system for picking bacterial colonies is used to create a biobank of personalized microbiomes.

Gene editing boosts the yields of sorghum, rice and millet grown in alkaline soils.

Single-cell data from RNA-seq, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation and other modalities can be readily integrated using two new methods.

SEACells identifies rare cell states in large datasets, enabling atlas-scale studies.

Dual sequencing of the epigenome and genome could have broad implications in oncology.

CRISPR RNA is delivered to the mouse lung by inhalation using improved lipid nanoparticles.

Functional proteins with limited homology to natural proteins are designed using a large language model.