News

An analog that mimics mitochondrial protein called coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been found to protect neuronal mitochondria from the damaging effects of protein aggregates seen in Alzheimer’s disease. The compound, developed by researchers at Arizona State University, may help researchers prevent the toxic effects of amyloid beta aggregates in the brain.

The cell’s powerhouse and garbage disposal — two distinct cell structures known as mitochondria and lysosome, respectively — regulate their function by communicating directly with each other within the cell, a new study says. The discovery was made at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and…

Because treatment for mitochondrial DNA diseases is largely limited to addressing only symptoms, researchers are increasingly looking at mitochondrial replacement therapies as a way to allow women to have genetically related children while reducing the risk of transmitting disease. Mitochondrial replacement therapies involve a new and innovative technology to prevent…

An international group of researchers demonstrated that the enzyme EXD2 has a key role in the production of mitochondrial protein. The study, “EXD2 governs germ stem cell homeostasis and lifespan by promoting mitoribosome integrity and translation,” was published in the journal Nature Cell Biology. Mitochondria are the major…

Side alternating vibration training (SAVT), which uses a vibrating platform to simulate exercise, can improve muscle power in patients with mitochondrial diseases, according to a study published in Archives of Physiotherapy. Mitochondrial diseases comprise a group of inherited disorders that changes the way cells in the body produce energy.

A new U.K. study shows why mitochondrial disease can occur in previously healthy families. The research, “Segregation of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy through a developmental genetic bottleneck in human embryos,” appeared in the journal Nature Cell Biology. Mutations in the DNA of mitochondria (the cellular power plants) affect only…

The use of vitamins and other nutritional supplements to treat mitochondrial diseases needs to be scientifically validated, a study contends. The research, “Nutritional Interventions for Mitochondrial OXPHOS Deficiencies: Mechanisms and Model Systems,” appeared in the journal Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease. Defects in mitochondria, the cells’ power plants, can…

Justina Pelletier, a Connecticut teenager with mitochondrial disease, was admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital in 2013 on the advice of a metabolic geneticist at nearby Tufts Medical Center so she could see her longtime gastroenterologist, who had recently transferred to Boston. But the hospital — without consulting the Tufts…

Several U.S.-based organizations are launching a network to unify physicians who treat people with mitochondrial disease. The goal is to design better treatment guidelines and clinical priorities, and improve standards of care for patients. The governance board of the Mitochondrial Care Network is looking to work with a diverse…

Loss of mitochondrial DNA in brain cells called astrocytes may be the cause of Alpers–Huttenlocher syndrome, a severe mitochondrial neurodegenerative disease that affects young children. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrates that while neurons die in this condition, other cells are the ultimate cause of…