Mitochondrial Disease News and Research

RSS

Scientists elucidate the structure of protein complex essential for proper functioning of cells

Scientists at IST Austria describe for the first time the structure of a protein complex essential for our cells to function properly.

7 Oct 2021

CHOP researchers develop tool to monitor disease severity in patients with mitochondrial myopathy

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia successfully developed and validated a new outcome measure to monitor disease severity and progression in patients with impaired skeletal muscle function caused by mitochondrial disease.

1 Sep 2021

New live cell models lay the groundwork for studies into mitochondrial diseases

The mitochondrion has garnered quite the reputation for its role as the "powerhouse of the cell." These tiny, but mighty organelles play various life-sustaining roles, from powering our own cells and organs to fueling chemical and biological processes.

15 Jul 2021

University of Ottawa awarded four new Canada Research Chairs to strengthen expertise in AI, health and law

The University of Ottawa has been awarded four new Canada Research Chairs (CRC) that will strengthen its expertise in artificial intelligence, health and law.

15 Jun 2021

Researchers develop first human model for studying the neuronal pathology of Leigh syndrome

Leigh syndrome is the most severe mitochondrial disease in children. It causes severe muscle weakness, movement defects, and intellectual disabilities.

26 Mar 2021

Combination of therapies may benefit patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders

Researchers from the Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have demonstrated how one combination of therapies may be beneficial for patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders.

3 Mar 2021

Metabolites may be predictive indicators of patients at risk for recurrent major depression

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dutch scientists, have found that certain metabolites -; small molecules produced by the process of metabolism -; may be predictive indicators for persons at risk for recurrent major depressive disorder.

12 Jan 2021

Study paves the way to a potential new treatment for rare terminal childhood illness

Scientists at the University of Exeter have identified a way to "rescue" cells that have genetically mutated, paving the way to a possible new treatment for rare terminal childhood illness such as mitochondrial disease.

18 Dec 2020

Single-cell analysis provides new details about mitochondrial diseases

Investigators led by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital have made discoveries at the single cell level to uncover new details concerning mitochondrial diseases-- inherited disorders that interfere with energy production in the body and currently have no cure.

13 Aug 2020

New technique helps measure dNTP concentrations with greater sensitivity

A highly sensitive and easy-to-use technique applicable for tissue samples can be useful, for example, to researchers specialised in mitochondrial diseases and cancer.

24 Jun 2020

Study reveals completely new mechanism for mitochondrial disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that excessive degradation of the power plants of our cells plays an important role in the onset of mitochondrial disease in children.

11 Jun 2020

Gene discovery in fruit flies could provide clues to counteract mitochondrial diseases

Scientists have identified a protein in fruit flies that can be targeted to reverse the effects of disease-causing mutations in mitochondrial genes. The discovery could provide clues about how to counteract human mitochondrial diseases, for which there is currently no cure.

28 Nov 2019

Potential new treatment for mitochondrial diseases discovered from fruit fly genes

Researchers have discovered a way to reverse the impact of disease-causing mitochondrial mutations by targeting fruit fly gene.

27 Nov 2019

Self-destructive mitochondria may set the stage for neurodegeneration in ALS

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new phenomenon in the brain that could explain the development of early stages of neurodegeneration seen in diseases such as ALS, which affects voluntary muscle movement such as walking and talking.

18 Nov 2019

Study presents a new view on how mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to aging

Disturbances in the function of mitochondrial DNA can accelerate the aging process in ways that are different than previously thought, according to a new Finnish study published in Nature Metabolism.

8 Oct 2019

Researchers identify two groups of neurons related to Leigh Syndrome

Leigh Syndrome affects one in every 40,000 newborns and is produced by deficits in the mitochondria, which are in charge of providing the energy needed for cells to function correctly.

18 Sep 2019

New resource accelerates use of FISH techniques to study spatial organization of DNA in cells

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet present a publicly available resource that can accelerate the use of so-called FISH techniques for studying how the genome is spatially organised in the cell nucleus.

9 Apr 2019

Sleep disruption leads to negativity bias, study shows

A sleepless night not only leaves us fatigued and distracted, it also makes us interpret things more negatively and makes us more likely to lose our temper.

8 Apr 2019

Novel strategy to ameliorate symptoms of mitochondrial disease

Diseases affecting mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, are often caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. Symptoms of such mitochondrial diseases in mice can be ameliorated by increasing their levels of mitochondrial DNA, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

3 Apr 2019

Gene behind mitochondrial disease has more varied effects than previously thought

For more than two decades, mutations in a gene located in the DNA of mitochondria have been classified as a mitochondrial disease and linked to a particular set of symptoms.

12 Mar 2019