Weekly Recap: Oct 19–23, 2026

Oct 23, 2026 · Weekly Recap · 1 min read

Here's what we explored on the Journal this week.

The Tiny Power Plants Inside Your Cells (Oct 19)
Mitochondria (my-toe-KON-dree-uh) turn food and oxygen into ATP, little energy batteries your cells spend all day. They even carry their own DNA, a leftover from their bacteria days.
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Shoelace Tips for Your Chromosomes: What Telomeres Do (Oct 20)
Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of your DNA, like the plastic tip on a shoelace. They wear down a bit each time a cell divides.
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Zombie Cells: The Cells That Won't Quit (or Leave) (Oct 21)
Senescent cells stop dividing but don't die. When they pile up, their chemical “grumbling” can stir up inflammation nearby.
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Your Body's Repair Crew: Meet the Stem Cells (Oct 22)
Stem cells rebuild you every day, from blood to gut lining. With age, the crew gets smaller and slower.
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Who's researching this

Rubedo Life Sciences is a California biotech company that studies senescent (“zombie”) cells. Its lead candidate, RLS-1496, is a skin cream designed to target those cells. In March 2026, Rubedo reported early results from a small first-in-human Phase 1 study in the Netherlands in adults with psoriasis or eczema, and said a second early-stage study was underway in the U.S. It's still early research, not an approved treatment. (Rubedo press release; EU trial record)

Mentioning a company is not an endorsement or medical advice.

Simon Ng · Founder, cells.com

Simon Ng is the founder of cells.com. He has spent more than a decade on biotech finance executive teams, including at Quark Pharmaceuticals and Adverum Biosciences, and holds an MBA.