Posts by: Ines Martins, PhD

Ines Martins, PhD

Inês Martins holds a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and is currently finishing her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at Universidade de Lisboa. Her work has been focused on blood vessels and their role in both hematopoiesis and cancer development.

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016

Mutations in Amino Acid Metabolism May Lead to Severe Neuromuscular Disorders, Animal Study Suggests

News

Mutations in a mitochondrial protein involved in the synthesis of certain essential amino acids may lead to severe hind limb function, reduced brain weight, and infertility, according to an animal ... Read more

August 26, 2016August 26, 2016

Study Shows Mitochondrial DNA, Nuclear Gene Interaction May Provide Clues to Mitochondrial Diseases

News

Researchers from New Zealand have shown for the first time that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can leave the mitochondria, travel to the nucleus, and establish interactions with specific genes. Findings from the study ... Read more

August 24, 2016August 24, 2016

New Genetic Insights Could Pave Way to Potential Therapies for Mitochondrial Diseases

News

Researchers at the University of Missouri have successfully created embryos with maternal and paternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a feature called heteroplasmy that is thought to occur in a number of ... Read more

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Maternally Inherited Syndrome Traced to Mitochondrial Mutation and Its Impact

News

Researchers at the Zhejiang University, in China, have shown that mutations in a specific mitochondrial transfer RNA (tRNA), a type of RNA that helps decode a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence ... Read more

August 17, 2016August 17, 2016

Mitochondrial Complex I Deficiency May Be Bypassed, Study Shows

News

Mitochondrial energy production depends on a chain of five main complexes that when mutated could lead to severe energy deprivation and cell death. Recently, researchers at the Faculty of Medicine of Lund ... Read more

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016

Genetic Causes for Mitochondrial Disorders May Now Be Rapidly Identified Using New Test

News

Patients with mitochondrial disorders may be more rapidly diagnosed with a new genetic test developed by researchers at the Wellcome Trust Center for Mitochondrial Research. The new test is described ... Read more

August 5, 2016August 5, 2016

Fruit Fly Moms Seen to Pass Harmful Mitochondrial Mutations to Sons, Not Daughters

News

Unlike the nuclear genetic material that comes from both our father and mother, the mitochondrial genome is inherited exclusively from our mother. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have shown ... Read more

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016

Gene Therapy Looks Promising in Patients with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

News

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a disease caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, may be effectively treated with gene therapy, according to a prospective study developed at Tongji Hospital ... Read more

July 27, 2016July 27, 2016

Mitochondria Transplants Ease Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Hypertension in Animal Study

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Mitochondrial transplants may prevent or ease hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, according to a study developed at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. The study, “Mitochondrial transplantation attenuates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension,” ... Read more

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016

New Nanoblade More Effectively Allows Engineered Mitochondria to Be Returned to Cells

News

A new nanoblade can open a cell’s membrane to insert mitochondria directly into the cytoplasm, allowing for scientists to manipulate mitochondria outside the cell before returning them. The technique, described ... Read more