Leading experts come together to discuss clinical, translational applications of mitochondria

The American Physiological Society (APS) will host the "Physiological Bioenergetics: Mitochondria from Bench to Bedside" conference August 27–30 in San Diego. The meeting will bring together cross-disciplinary experts who study the mitochondria, which provide the energy to individual cells.

"While mitochondria are traditionally known as the powerhouse of the cell, accumulating studies demonstrate that the shape, movement and function of these organelles control much more in the cell beyond energy levels," Sruti Shiva, PhD, researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and chair of the conference organizing committee, said. "This conference brings together researchers investigating all aspects of mitochondrial function-; how they regulate energy production, how changes in their shape change cell function, their control of cell death and more. These unique perspectives on the mitochondrion will be discussed in the context of how they contribute to human health and disease progression."

Mitochondrial function is often studied within the context of a specific disease or organ system, but how these discoveries translate to predicting, modulating or treating disease is not always clear-cut. The goal of the conference is to bring together experts studying varied facets of this field of research across disciplines and in the context of different pathologies to share their most recent findings and to discuss strategies to further advance the field of "mitochondriology."