Mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that produce our energy, interact with the cell’s nucleus in subtle ways previously unseen in humans, according to research published today in the journal Science.
Only a small proportion of cases of dementia are thought to be inherited – the cause of the vast majority is unknown. Now, in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists led by researchers at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge believe they may have found an explanation: spontaneous errors in our DNA that arise as cells divide and replicate.
Researchers have developed a genome-editing tool for the potential treatment of mitochondrial diseases: serious and often fatal conditions which affect 1 in 5,000 people.
Four Cambridge academics are among the new Fellows announced today by the Royal Society and chosen for their outstanding contributions to science.
Researchers have shown for the first time how children can inherit a severe – potentially fatal – mitochondrial disease from a healthy mother. ̽»¨Ö±²¥study, led by researchers from the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge, reveals that healthy people harbour mutations in their mitochondrial DNA and explains how cases of severe mitochondrial disease can appear unexpectedly in previously unaffected families.
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