Mitochondria News and Research

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Synta fourth-quarter total collaboration revenue decreases to $3.0 million

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2010 financial results, provided an update on recent progress with its programs, and announced 2011 objectives.

11 Mar 2011

Novel gene therapy can promote removal of amyloid plaques and prevent Alzheimer's disease

Gene therapy that boosts the ability of brain cells to gobble up toxic proteins prevents development of Alzheimer's disease in mice that are predestined to develop it, report researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. They say the treatment - which is given just once - could potentially do the same in people at the beginning stages of the disease.

5 Mar 2011

Feet first? Old mitochondria might be responsible for neuropathy in the extremities

The burning, tingling pain of neuropathy may affect feet and hands before other body parts because the powerhouses of nerve cells that supply the extremities age and become dysfunctional as they complete the long journey to these areas, Johns Hopkins scientists suggest in a new study. The finding may eventually lead to new ways to fight neuropathy, a condition that often accompanies other diseases including HIV/AIDS, diabetes and circulatory disorders.

3 Mar 2011

Research: Blocking two cell DNA repair routes at once can provide new way to treat bowel cancer

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that blocking two cell DNA repair routes at once could provide a completely new way to treat bowel cancer and potentially other cancers, according to research published in Cancer Research, today.

2 Mar 2011

Free radicals make the heart to beat with the correct force

Fear of free radicals may be exaggerated, according to scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. A new study, published in the Journal of Physiology, shows that free radicals act as signal substances that cause the heart to beat with the correct force.

28 Feb 2011

New study: Free radicals play a key role in heart physiology

Fear of free radicals may be exaggerated, according to scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. A new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that free radicals act as signal substances that cause the heart to beat with the correct force.

28 Feb 2011

Breakthrough in Huntington's disease may give patients hope for cure

A huge leap forward in understanding Huntington's disease may give patients hope for a cure.

23 Feb 2011

Research: MEF2D protein in mitochondria appears to contribute early steps in Parkinson's disease

For the last several years, neurologists have been probing a connection between Parkinson's disease and problems with mitochondria, the miniature power plants of the cell.

15 Feb 2011

New research shows link between two pesticides and Parkinson's disease

New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users.

14 Feb 2011

Some fat is essential for body function

It's common knowledge that too much cholesterol and other fats can lead to disease, and that a healthy diet involves watching how much fatty food we eat. However, our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function—and we can't make it from scratch.

14 Feb 2011

Cancer cells 'addicted' to self-preservation process

A team of investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ); Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Princeton University, have determined that cancer cells are "addicted" to a self-preservation process known as autophagy. They also showed that the inhibition of that process could prove to be a valuable treatment approach for aggressive cancers. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

11 Feb 2011

Physicist creates technology that may enhance pharma industry's early drug discovery capabilities

A Purdue physicist has created technology to detect motion inside three-dimensional tumor spheroids, which may enhance the pharmaceutical industry's early drug discovery capabilities.

10 Feb 2011

Super spinach really boosts power: Study

Scientists have found out the basis of what we already knew – spinach is good for us. They have found that it is the nitrates in spinach that are abundant in all green leafy vegetables that boosts the powerhouses in cells which provide energy. In fact a single helping of spinach is enough to increase the efficiency of mitochondria. These are small bean-shaped bodies which fuel cell activity and growth. This explains how Popeye the Sailor man – a famous cartoon character, who dates back to the 1930s, gets his power from a can of spinach.

6 Feb 2011

Nitrate boosts efficiency of mitochondria

The spinach-eating cartoon character Popeye has much to teach us, new research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The muscles' cellular power plants - the mitochondria - are boosted by nitrate, a substance found in abundance in vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and beetroot.

2 Feb 2011

Defective nucleoli linked to Parkinson's disease

"Nucleolus", or small nucleus, is the term coined by early biologists for the tiny structure within the nucleus which they saw under the microscope. In this structure within the nucleus, RNA molecules and proteins are assembled to form ribosomes, the true protein factories of cells.

2 Feb 2011

Aging-associated protein deficiency may lead to positive breast cancer in women

The most common type of breast cancer in older women - estrogen and progesterone receptor positive breast cancer - has been linked to a protein that fends off aging-related cellular damage.

28 Jan 2011

Bax factor that promotes cell death is also involved in regulating mitochondria behavior

New research led by UC Davis scientists provides insight into why some body organs are more susceptible to cell death than others and could eventually lead to advances in treating or preventing heart attack or stroke.

24 Jan 2011

Contagious cancer repairs own genetic mutations

A curious contagious cancer, found in dogs, wolves and coyotes, can repair its own genetic mutations by adopting genes from its host animal, according to a new study in the journal Science.

24 Jan 2011

Slowing engines of mitochondria could extend life

In making your pro-longevity resolutions, like drinking more red wine and maintaining a vibrant social network, here's one you likely forgot: dialing down your mitochondria. It turns out that slowing the engines of these tiny cellular factories could extend your life-an observation relevant not only to aging research but to our understanding of how cells communicate with each another.

10 Jan 2011

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Medical researchers who crave a means of exploring the genetic culprits behind a host of neuromuscular disorders may have just had their wish granted by a team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where scientists have performed surgery on single cells to extract and examine their mitochondria.

7 Jan 2011