R3FINE 2026: Bridging disciplinary gaps in translational animal-free research

communities, and stages of translation.The conference brought together approximately 150 participants, 27 invited speakers, and nine hands-on workshop modules. From advanced models to measurable biologyA central question at R3FINE 2026 was how human-relevant models can be transformed from structural representations into systems that reveal biological function.The biosensor and livecell imaging sessions established a key bridge: model developers require informative functional readouts, while measurement technologies acquire translational value when implemented in biologically and clinically relevant systems.Vsevolod Belousov demonstrated how genetically encoded redox biosensors and chemogenetic tools can combine real-time observation with controlled metabolic perturbation, moving experiments from correlation toward causality.Yulong Li extended functional measurement to intercellular communication through genetically encoded GPCR activation-based sensors that directly visualize extracellular signaling.Robert E. Campbell showed how the expanding biosensor palette enables multiparametric analysis of ionic, metabolic, and signaling processes within the same living system.Takeaki Ozawa further connected observation with intervention by using optical sensors and molecular switches to visualize and manipulate biological events with spatial and temporal precision.Young-Tae Chang presented small-molecule fluorescent probes that distinguish living cells according to their functional state, exposing heterogeneity that conventional markers may overlook.Albena T. Dinkova-Kostova demonstrated how live-cell Nrf2 assays can resolve the timing, magnitude, and single-cell variability of stress responses relevant to pharmacological and toxicological assessment.Together, these presentations showed that advanced models should not merely reproduce tissue architecture; they should reveal what their cells are doing.By connecting model developers with biosensor, optical, and chemical probe specialists, R3FINE outlined a path from static representation to dynamic, mechanistically interpretable evidence.