Knock, knock! Who’s there? Mitochondria!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Mitochondria produce energy for our cells. When they malfunction, it spells problems for our nerves and muscles. What can we do?
Enter Temurkhan Ayupov and team at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology. They developed a method to deliver healthy mitochondria to sick cells.
Our cells are covered in proteins called receptors that work like locks on a door. These researchers gave mitochondria a protein key, letting them unlock and enter specific cells.
And? They successfully targeted mitochondria to nerve cells! AND the survival of nerve cells with mitochondrial disease IMPROVED by twenty-four percent!
So let’s open our hearts to mitochondrion Doordashers! Five stars!