Normally, cells must be lysed for a so-called transcriptome analysis - which reveals which genes are currently being expressed - making repeated measurements on the same cells impossible. The research team led by Prof Gil Westmeyer, Director of the Institute for Synthetic Biomedicine (ISBM) at Helmholtz Munich and Professor of Neurobiological Engineering at TUM, uses virus-like particles for their new process, called NTVE (Non-destructive Transcriptomics via Vesicular Export). These particles shuttle messenger RNA - the active gene products - out of living cells.
The RNA is then extracted from the bubbles outside the cell and analyzed. This allows researchers to determine which genes are currently active. The results obtained through the new process show excellent concordance with comparative measurements using the conventional standard method - without the critical drawback of permanently destroying the cell being studied.
The new method therefore allows for repeated sampling over several days, for example to closely monitor the differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes or germ layers. It also works in neurons and mixed cell populations, enabling analysis of cell-to-cell communication.
Hope for Better Treatments for Serious Diseases
"This method provides biomedical research with a powerful new tool. We will gain day-by-day insights into the maturation and functionality of stem cells. This could make future cell therapies more precise and effective," says Gil Westmeyer.
"Our new method also makes it possible to genetically prepare cells for implantation into tissue. In addition, NTVE can potentially be used for long-term analysis of organoids as well as for further research into tumors and their intercellular communication," further note first author Niklas Armbrust and co-corresponding author Dr. Jeffery Truong.
Link to the Original Press Release from the TUM
Armbrust and Grosshauser et al., 2026: Non-destructive transcriptomics via vesicular export. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72072-w
