UCLA Engineers Develop Programmable Artificial Organelles Using RNA Nanostars to Reorganize Living Cellular Interiors

UCLA researchers use "RNA nanostars" to create programmable artificial organelles, offering a new way to control cellular functions for nanomedicine.

By: AXL Media

Published: May 1, 2026, 7:47 AM EDT

Architectural Engineering of the Cellular Environment

A multidisciplinary team at the University of California, Los Angeles, has successfully developed a platform for building programmable artificial organelles within mammalian cells. Unlike traditional organelles that are often enclosed by lipid membranes, these newly engineered structures are membrane-less, droplet-like clusters known as biomolecular condensates. By using RNA as the primary building block, the researchers have created a system where assembly instructions are encoded directly into the genetic sequence. Professor Elisa Franco, the study’s lead and a specialist in mechanical and aerospace engineering, described the achievement as a critical step toward the architectural engineering of cell interiors, providing a way to organize cellular space with unprecedented precision.

The Design and Assembly of RNA Nanostars

The core of this new technology involves short strands of RNA meticulously designed to fold into star-shaped junctions, which the researchers have dubbed "nanostars." Each nanostar is engineered with three or more radiating arms, terminating in complementary sequences called "kissing loops." These loops act as molecular velcro, binding to one another through predictable base-pairing rules to facilitate the assembly of expansive networks. Because these interactions are governed by the fundamental laws of nucleic acid chemistry, the formation of these networks is highly predictable. This allows scientists to dictate exactly how these synthetic compartments emerge once the RNA is transcribed within the living cell.

Precision Control Over Subcellular Localization

One of the study's most significant advancements is the ability to tune the physical properties and physical location of these artificial droplets. By modifying the length of the nanostar arms or the binding strength of the kissing loops, the UCLA team demonstrated that they could control whether the condensates formed in the cytoplasm or within the nucleus. Shiyi Li, the study’s first author and a bioengineering doctoral candidate, noted that this capability effectively allows researchers to create "temporary rooms" inside a cell. These rooms can be furnished with specific molecular tools to perform distinct tasks, such as sequestering proteins or directing complex chemical reactions in a localized environment.