Biomolecular condensation of macromolecules is an increasingly important concept in cell biology. Indeed, research on condensates touches on multiple areas of research, from biochemistry to biophysics and from organelles to cell polarity. We asked experts at the forefront of this field to comment on what excites them most regarding biomolecular condensation, as well as on current challenges, priorities and needs for the functional study of condensates.

Since stem cells were first discovered, researchers have identified distinct stem cell populations in different organs and with various functions, converging on the unique abilities of self-renewal and differentiation toward diverse cell types. These abilities make stem cells an incredibly promising tool in therapeutics and have turned stem cell biology into a fast-evolving field. Here, stem cell biologists express their view on the most striking advances and current challenges in their field.

Dimple Notani is principal investigator (PI) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India, studying gene regulation. Nature Cell Biology contacted Dimple to discuss the state of the field and her experience running a research lab in India through a pandemic and as a junior PI.

Daylon James is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, where his work focuses on reproductive biology and cell-based approaches for treating infertility. Arun Sharma is an assistant professor at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Regenerative Medicine Institute, and his lab works on modelling cardiovascular diseases and developing cell-based screening platforms for drug toxicity. Many of us also know them as the hosts of the Stem Cell Podcast. Here, we ask them about the podcast and discuss their view on the stem cell field and science communication.

Galenza et al. show that basal stem cell progeny seamlessly integrate into a physiologically active barrier epithelium by gestating their future apical surface in a sheltering niche created by a transient occluding junction.

Mangione et al. report that sensory bristles co-opt neighbouring epidermal cells, which adopt a special morphology and contribute to touch sensing in Drosophila.

Rubio-Navarro et al. identify a subset of pancreatic beta cells marked by high CD63 levels with enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. CD63-high beta cells are diminished in mouse models of and in humans with type 2 diabetes.

Xu et al. provide a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of 4–6 week human embryos, thereby profiling early human organogenesis.

Systematic infection of a human multi-organoid system shows that deficiency in the host factor CIART impairs SARS-CoV-2 infection through downregulation of the RXR pathway and subsequent impairment of fatty-acid synthesis.

Kuchitsu et al. show that STING-positive vesicles of a recycling endosome origin are encapsulated into lysosomes after STING ubiquitination and this process requires ESCRT proteins Tsg101 and Vps4.

Dimple Notani is principal investigator (PI) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India, studying gene regulation. Nature Cell Biology contacted Dimple to discuss the state of the field and her experience running a research lab in India through a pandemic and as a junior PI.

Daylon James is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, where his work focuses on reproductive biology and cell-based approaches for treating infertility. Arun Sharma is an assistant professor at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Regenerative Medicine Institute, and his lab works on modelling cardiovascular diseases and developing cell-based screening platforms for drug toxicity. Many of us also know them as the hosts of the Stem Cell Podcast. Here, we ask them about the podcast and discuss their view on the stem cell field and science communication.

Kara McKinley is an assistant professor of stem-cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University. In addition to advancing our understanding of endometrial regeneration, she has tackled the gender bias in the academic job market by founding the ‘Leading Edge Fellows’ program. Nature Cell Biology contacted her to discuss her career and goals for our research community.

The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in Singapore has helped the local scientific community to grow. Nature Cell Biology spoke to Wanjin Hong (executive director at A*STAR’s IMCB) and Guillaume Thibault (associate professor affiliated with Nanyang Technological University Singapore, National University of Singapore and A*STAR’s IMCB), who have dedicated parts of their careers to the growth of cell biology research in Singapore, about the history and directions of cell biological research programs in Singapore.