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A research team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported that inhibiting the transfer of calcium ions to mitochondria is toxic to cancer cells, which “suggests that calcium addiction by mitochondria is a novel feature of cancer cells,” study lead author Kevin Foskett, Ph.D., chair of…

Stealth BioTherapeutics recently announced the initiation of the Phase 2 ReVEAL clinical trial to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of its topical eye formulation (elamipretide) to treat patients with Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy (FCED), a disease linked to dysfunctional mitochondria. FCED is a genetic disease that affects the eye…

Targeting mitochondria with ceria nanoparticles effectively suppressed the death of neuron cells in a mouse model for Alzheimer’s disease, according to the recent study, “Mitochondria-Targeting Ceria Nanoparticles as Antioxidants for Alzheimer’s Disease,” published in the ACS Nano journal. Mitochondrial oxidative stress is known to promote the pathological progression…

Harvard Medical School researchers and colleagues have linked, for a first time, mitochondria dysfunction due to oxidative DNA damage in corneal endothelial cells to the development of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), the leading cause of age-related corneal edema requiring transplantation. Their article, “Menadione-induced DNA damage leads to mitochondrial dysfunction…

A protein called p62 acts as an anti-inflammatory molecular brake, helping to eliminate damaged mitochondria and preventing the onset of excessive inflammation that can harm healthy cells and tissues, leading to premature aging, autoimmunity, or worse. Besides elucidating how the body is able to turn off inflammation, the findings by…

An online commentary published by the New England Journal of Medicine argues that the U.S. medical community will be crucial in determining future applications of, and the ethical framework surrounding, mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs). The United Kingdom recently addressed policy issues regarding MRTs. But the United States has a different…

Researchers investigating mechanisms for coping with mitochondrial dysfunction and disease have found that the body’s natural response to induced low levels of oxygen has a protective effect against mitochondrial injury. The article, by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers and titled “Hypoxia as a therapy for mitochondrial disease,” was…

Three researchers were brought together by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to consider the ethics, guidelines, and potential risks of mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) aiming to prevent mother-to-child transmission of mitochondrial diseases. Their article, “Mitochondrial Replacement Techniques — Implications for the Clinical Community,” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are associated with the risk for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a study titled “Clinicopathological Implications of Mitochondrial Genome Alterations in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia” and published in the journal Annals of Laboratory Medicine. Mitochondria are key organelles within cells that are…

Patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) are closer to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on mitochondria dysfunction, according to a recent study titled “Analysis of mitochondrial DNA alteration in new phenotype ACOS,” published in the open access journal BMC Pulmonary Medicine. Mitochondria are organelles within…