Author Archives: Margarida Azevedo, MSc

In a recent review published in the J0urnal of Lifestyle Medicine, a researcher from Korea examined the current literature available about the effect of statins in the skeletal muscle, and the role of exercise in this mechanism. Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase that…

Santhera Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company, recently announced that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting marketing authorization for Raxone (idebenone) to treat the visual impairment found in adult and adolescent patients who suffer from LHON. LHON is a…

Stealth BioTherapeutics, a privately held biopharmaceutical company committed to developing mitochondrial therapies to treat both common and rare diseases, recently announced data from its ReVIEW clinical trial of Ocuvia in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). The data was recently presented during Stealth’s second Mitochondrial Science and Medicine Series symposium, which took place in…

In a recent study published in the journal European Journal of Human Genetics, a team of researchers from Germany provide additional insights into the clinical and cellular consequences of COQ9 deficiency in prenatal development. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a lipid-soluble, naturally occurring enzyme that is a key…

The fundraising event Hope Flies for Friends was recently held for the third time in Jacksonville, raising over $10,000 to help the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine and honor the local residents Lauren Quinn, Caroline Sacco and Stacy Young. The annual event included a wine tasting and included Dr. Wolfdieter Springer, whose research is being supported by the…

Stealth BioTherapeutics has released encouraging results regarding their PREVIEW study, which demonstrated the capability of the investigational drug Bendavia to improve cardiac function. The research outcomes were presented during a symposium focused on the contribution of mitochondria for chronic heart failure, which took place at the European…

In a recent study published in the journal PNAS PLUS, a team of researchers from the Institut Pasteur and CNRS, in partnership with researchers from the Institut Gustave Roussy and CEA, were able to restore normal activity in cells from patients with the premature aging disease Cockayne…

Previous research has revealed the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS neurodegenerative disorder is characterized by death of motor neurons (MN) in the upper motor cortex of the brain and in the lower stem and spinal cord (comprising the Central Nervous System). As far as etiological analysis…

Stealth BioTherapeutics (Stealth), a privately held biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing mitochondrial therapies to patients to treat both common and rare diseases, recently announced expansion of its ophthalmology program with FDA granting a Type B meeting for genetic optic neuropathies. Optic neuropathies are common to more than 20 congenital…

Results from a recent study published in the journal Cell provide a new potential therapeutic avenue for preventing the transgenerational transmission of human mitochondrial diseases caused by mutations in mtDNA, the DNA located in the mitochondria. Mitochondria are double-membrane cellular organelles of bacterial origin that play…