News

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), an independent organization founded in 2005 to accelerate stem cell research into possible disease cures and better treatments, applauded the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) report upholding the use of mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) on ethical grounds, provided certain conditions…

People with Parkinson’s disease have decreased amounts of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) both in the blood and the brain, researchers from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K., reported in a study  published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. In the study, titled “Reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number is…

A newly found mutation in the OPA1 gene has been linked to a mitochondrial condition involving general brain dysfunction, thickening of the heart muscle, and degeneration of the optic nerve. The report, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, is the first to describe the severe disease consequences of…

Specific variations in the mitochondria DNA genome correlate with an increased likelihood of symptoms in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), according to a study titled “Mitochondrial DNA variants correlate with symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome,” published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. ME/CFS is a rare acquired…

In a series of elaborate genetic experiments, Newcastle University scientists have shown, for the first time, that mitochondria are driving cellular aging. When the researchers removed mitochondria from aging cells, the cells took on a much younger appearance. The study, published in the EMBO Journal  and titled “Mitochondria are required…

Penn State researchers were the first to find the mitochondrial mechanism controlling the levels of calcium inside cells. Disruption of mitochondrial calcium regulation can result in an uncontrollable rise of the molecule inside cells, contributing to a host of neurodegenerative, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. The study was performed in the lab of…

The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation’s UMDF Regional Symposium, taking place Feb. 12-13 in Houston, Texas, will include for a first time local specialists treating mitochondrial patients to further understanding and insights into managing patients with mitochondrial disease. The 2016 symposium will be hosted by McGovern Medical School’s Mitochondrial Center of Excellence…

Mitochondria-DNA mutations, whether single or triple, have the same negative impact on mitochondria function in Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) patients, according to a study titled “Functional Characterization of Three Concomitant MtDNA LHON Mutations Shows No Synergistic Effect on Mitochondrial Activity” and published in the open access journal PLOS…

Canon BioMedical recently announced the addition of 72 new assays to the Novallele genotyping library, designed to allow researchers to more quickly identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, the most common type of genetic variation among people) and other genetic modifications, like small insertions and deletions, in the human genome. The release includes two assays to detect…

Santhera Pharmaceuticals recently announced an agreement with Ewopharma to make Raxone available for the treatment of a rare mitochondrial disease, known as Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), throughout Eastern Europe following the European Commission’s market authorization for the company’s oral drug. Under the partnership, Raxone (idebenone) will soon be a treatment option…