Mitochondria News and Research

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Experimental drug promotes weight loss by heating fat instead of suppressing appetite

An article published in the journal Nature Metabolism presents an experimental drug that stimulates adipose tissue cells to produce heat through a process known as thermogenesis, thereby promoting weight loss.

24 Jun 2025

Melanoma’s excessive mitochondrial dependence becomes a therapeutic vulnerability

Researchers have discovered that the most aggressive melanomas, the deadliest form of skin cancer, overactivate two key processes in mitochondria, the components of cells that provide energy.

23 Jun 2025

Mitochondrial dysfunction drives cerebellar damage in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. Approximately 80% of people with MS have inflammation in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that helps control movement and balance, potentially leading to tremors, poor coordination, and trouble with motor control.

16 Jun 2025

Researchers identify cellular hotspots that trigger ferroptosis

Researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology have uncovered how a unique interaction between two cellular compartments, namely the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, can act as a central ignition point for ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by lipid oxidation and iron.

14 Jun 2025

New study maps how cells allocate space to organelles during growth

Picture a living cell as if it were a city. If you were the urban planner for this (very little, very alive) city, one of the things you would have to decide is how to allocate space for different functional uses.

6 Jun 2025

Mitochondrial DNA variant predicts resistance to melanoma immunotherapy

Results from a new study help resolve the decade-long mystery of why many patients with the deadliest form of skin cancer do not respond to the latest cancer treatments.

6 Jun 2025

Genetic mutation identified as key factor in immunotherapy resistance for melanoma

Tests in 1,225 patients with the most deadly form of skin cancer reveal for the first time a genetic trait among most of those who did not respond to the latest cancer treatments, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors.

5 Jun 2025

Innovative method reveals how titin disruption triggers muscular diseases

A team at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), led by Jorge Alegre-Cebollada, has developed an innovative method, called TEVs-TTN, for studying the specific mechanical functions of proteins through their controlled cleavage, a process that renders the proteins unable to sense and transmit mechanical force.

5 Jun 2025

Rethinking the mitochondrial theory of aging

The human genome is broadly classified into the genome residing in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA) and the genome residing in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA: mtDNA). Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy essential for life activities through oxidative phosphorylation (mitochondrial respiration), and mtDNA encodes a set of genes required for mitochondrial respiration.

27 May 2025

Researchers find way to protect mitochondria from stress-induced damage

Mitochondria are the cell's power plants: They turn the food we eat into the energy our cells can use. But when stress hijacks the process they use to maintain their quality, they get snipped into useless fragments and go into a tailspin that spreads from cell to cell and triggers a wide range of human diseases.

26 May 2025

Aging metabolism reduces effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has discovered that the metabolic decline that accompanies aging impairs the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy, an immunotherapy in which T cells of the immune system are taken from patients, engineered to target cancer cells and reinfused into the same patients for treatment.

23 May 2025

JAX study sheds light on infection vulnerability in patients with rare mitochondrial diseases

Patients with rare mitochondrial diseases already face a host of serious health issues, from muscle weakness to neurological problems and heart conditions.

21 May 2025

Age-related immune decline reduces CAR-T cell therapy efficacy

As people age, their immune systems become less efficient, posing a challenge for cancer therapies that rely on harnessing immune cells.

20 May 2025

Study uncovers common trigger across gene mutations that cause ALS

Using the gene scissors CRISPR and stem cells, researchers at Stockholm University and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at King's College London have managed to identify a common denominator for different gene mutations that all cause the neurological disease ALS.

19 May 2025

New drug candidate disrupts the link between herpes virus and Alzheimer’s disease

Studies suggesting that certain viral infections may influence the onset of Alzheimer's diseases are gaining attention. In this context, a domestic research team has succeeded in breaking the link between viral infection and Alzheimer's disease using a new treatment candidate.

16 May 2025