: What is a "key cell"? I have recently heard of the concept of a "key cell" as a short modulation (number of bars) that contains a tonal model progression, which can be analyzed in the context of two closely related keys.

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Alright, so I did some Googling and could find a grand total of 1 resource that specifically mentioned a "Key Cell" and, sure enough, it was referring to short, temporary, modulations.
That paper is here: A Musical Discussion and Analysis of Romance sans Paroles by Three French Composers
However, he never makes any mention of any "models", but does refer to short "modal" modulations within the context of those "key cells".
So, in short, a "key cell" is, as you mentioned, simply a short modulation; And, that it is possible for a short modulation to be one where, instead of modulating to Am by resolving E7 to Am, we see the piece moving from Em to Am as the sign that the piece has 'modulated', temporarily, to Am (and the progression of Em to Am is considered modal within this "key cell" context).
However, like a previous person had noted, this is not common terminology and would likely only serve to confuse if attempted to be used with someone who was not specifically aware of that "key cell" concept.