Scientists just gave the powerhouses of our cells a high-tech upgrade
Scientists have created a new coating for mitochondria that preserves their ability to produce energy, potentially opening the door to new treatments for diseases involving these tiny cellular powerhouses. The technology could one day help transfer healthy mitochondria into damaged cells, although its effectiveness in transplantation remains unproven.
Key points
- Scientists coated mitochondria with advanced materials without disrupting energy production.
- The work was done by FINCB and Politecnico di Milano in a joint lab.
- Coating could aid experimental mitochondrial transplantation, but more research is needed.
Researchers have developed a method to coat mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells, with advanced materials while preserving their function. The work was carried out by IRCCS Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta (FINCB) and Politecnico di Milano through their joint BraiNs laboratory, established in 2023. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
The collaboration combined the mitochondrial biology expertise of Dr. Valeria Tiranti (FINCB), a researcher in the Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Complex Unit (SC) and head of the Fondazione Mariani Centre for Paediatric Mitochondrial Diseases, with the chemistry and materials engineering expertise of Professor Pierangelo Metrangolo (Politecnico di Milano).
Coating delicate mitochondria
Mitochondria generate the energy cells need for essential activities. When they malfunction, they can contribute to several diseases, many of them rare. Mitochondrial diseases are particularly harmful to organs and tissues that require large amounts of energy, including the brain and muscles. Effective treatment options for these conditions remain limited.
The team used Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOF), a class of advanced materials whose properties can be tailored for different applications. Applying these materials to mitochondria is challenging because the structures are extremely delicate and can easily lose their ability to function properly. The researchers overcame this by applying tiny amounts of MOF material directly to the mitochondrial surface. Tests showed that the coated mitochondria continued producing energy, demonstrating that the process could modify their surfaces without compromising this essential function.
The possibility of modifying the coating now opens up new research prospects: in the future, it will be possible to develop MOF with different characteristics depending on the objective, creating coatings capable of performing specific functions.
— Prof. Metrangolo
Potential for transplantation
One of the most promising aspects of the discovery is the ability to customize the coating for different purposes. Prof. Metrangolo said, "The possibility of modifying the coating now opens up new research prospects: in the future, it will be possible to develop MOF with different characteristics depending on the objective, creating coatings capable of performing specific functions."
A potential application is mitochondrial transplantation, an experimental technique intended to introduce healthy mitochondria into cells whose existing mitochondria are not functioning correctly. Researchers believe that specially engineered coatings might eventually make it easier to deliver healthy mitochondria and help them interact with the cells receiving them. Dr. Tiranti emphasized, "A specifically designed coating could, in the future, facilitate this transfer and the interaction between mitochondria and cells." However, this possibility remains unproven. Additional research will be necessary to establish whether coated mitochondria perform better during transplantation than mitochondria without a coating.
The study was completed as part of a research project led by PhD candidate Marco D'Amato. Funding was provided through the "CALabria HUB per Ricerca Innovativa ed Avanzata (Cal.Hub.Ria)" project, supported under the Ministry of Health's Health Operational Plan (Piano Operativo Salute, POS).
