Author Archives: Malika Ammam, PhD

Mitochondria, with Key Role in Neurodegeneration, May Offer Therapy Target, Review Suggests

Mitochondria play key roles in the processes that can lead to neurodegeneration and diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, a review of published studies into mitochondria-associated neurodegeneration found. The review also suggested that mitochondria are a therapeutic target worth investigating. Details of these findings, “Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Biogenesis in Neurodegenerative…

Scientists Develop New Peptides as Novel Therapies for Mitochondrial Diseases

A study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine found a new route to correct dysfunctional mitochondria. The scientists designed small compounds that could help treat Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CTMD) and other mitochondrial diseases. The study, “Correcting mitochondrial fusion by manipulating mitofusin conformations,” was recently published…

Modified Atkins Diet Can Cause Muscle Damage in People with Mitochondrial Myopathy, Study Finds

A Finnish study of a modified Atkins diet, a popular high‐fat/low‐carbohydrate diet, in a small group of people with mitochondrial myopathy (MM) and progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) found the diet induced progressive muscle pain and damage within two weeks, and the researchers suggest that patients using such diets to control disease symptoms be closely monitored.