The journal at a glance: Q1 2026 highlights from our Editor in Chief
Editor-in-Chief Michelle Itano (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA) kicks off 2026 with her top three articles from the year so far. Featuring optimizations to transgene detection in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and a DNA microarray, and the democratization of extracellular vesicle (EV) isolation.
Optimized Southern blotting for enhanced and precise detection of transgenes in CHO cells from transposon-based expression systems
Anyone working in bioprocessing or therapeutic screening will be well familiar with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, the go-to selection for cell-line development, which are routinely manipulated to express a transgene, producing a desired product or target. Southern blotting represents the gold standard method to confirm the integration of a transgene into CHO cells, but traditional approaches to this method pose some challenges; the restriction enzyme digestion step is confounded by the multiple integration sites that result from transposon-mediated transgene insertion, which lead to the formation of similar-sized DNA fragments, decreasing the band resolution.
This paper, from researchers at Merck (NJ, USA), offers a solution to this problem, presenting an optimized Southern blotting protocol that involves refining key steps in the process, including DNA purification before electrophoresis and enhancing DNA transfer methods to ultimately enable a more precise and efficient detection of individual transgene insertions in CHO cell lines with high copy numbers.
I selected this paper due to the potential breadth of its impact in numerous fields and the relative simplicity of the optimization, which primarily requires changes in practice, rather than technology, making it an improvement available to all.
South, north, east and west-ern: the story of how the western blot came into being
The Western blot may appear to be just another staple lab technique. However, there are some stories surrounding its invention that are definitely worth knowing.
High-resolution molecular typing of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from Romania and Bavaria: combining enhanced DNA microarray and next generation sequencing
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents one of the greatest scientific challenges of our age, with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) being a significant contributor to this issue. DNA microarrays are a critical high-throughput diagnostic technology with which to monitor the spread and evolution of AMR.
This study, led by Stefan Monecke (Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology) and Ralf Ehricht (Friedrich-Schiller University, both in Jena, Germany), describes the improvement of an existing DNA microarray tool for the molecular characterization of VRE, enabling it to analyze 96 bacterial strains simultaneously. As proof of principle, the study demonstrates the updated microarray’s efficacy in the analysis of VRE samples from Romania and Germany, comparing the results to traditional typing methods and validating them using next-generation sequencing.
The modified microarray processed 96 strains simultaneously, revealing genetic diversity and epidemiological links with a reported 100% diagnostic sensitivity and specificity across 187 genes in 220 isolates. The refined DNA microarray-based assay provides a high-throughput method for genotyping enterococci, offering a reliable and efficient tool for the molecular characterization of VRE.
DNA microarrays with Pat Brown
Pat Brown, the inventor of DNA microarrays, takes us through their invention, applications and their future. Pat also discusses his career highlights and what keeps him excited in his research.
Isolation and characterization of bovine-milk derived extracellular vesicles using a modified aqueous two-phase system
Extracellular vesicles play an important role in cell-to-cell communication and have shown promise for use in therapeutic delivery. Traditional extracellular vesicle isolation methods include ultracentrifugation and size exclusion chromatography, both of which require specialized equipment and can result in high costs.
In a paper authored by a team of researchers at Southern Utah University (UT, USA), led by Jessica Pullan, the use of a solubility-based aqueous two-phase system composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran is described as a precipitation method for the isolation of extracellular vesicles from raw bovine milk. This approach offers a cost-effective alternative approach that avoids the need for specialised equipment.
The authors go on to demonstrate the efficiency of the method through the isolation and characterization of the bovine-milk-derived extracellular vesicles, using scanning electron microscopy to characterize the morphology of the EVs, Rose Bengal staining to determine their protein concentration and flow cytometry to identify EV markers. The approach holds promise as an effective technique for isolating extracellular vesicles from unprocessed samples while providing a practical solution for small or resource-limited laboratories.