Where fossil fuels power the world, mitochondria power the cell. They provide the energy that allows your eyes to scan this page, and fuel each nerve impulse as your brain processes the words. Mutations that impair mitochondrial proteins, encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial genes,1 cause widespread disturbances in muscle, nerve, kidney, and other high-energy cells.
In the most severe cases, these mutations can cause childhood death; less severe cases result in degenerative diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson disease. "As you start to look at these large important diseases, sure enough there is a mitochondrial component," says James Dykens, associate director of business and corporate development at San Diego-based MitoKor. Researchers are actively pursuing new treatments for mitochondria-related conditions; to identify drug targets, they must learn how mitochondrial impairment harms the cell and find ways to protect mitochondria from damage.
THE BUCKET BRIGADE Mitochondria provide cells with energy in ...
