New mitochondrial disease clue found

[taniaaust1]

Researchers in Western Australia have been studying how mitochondrial genes work to help uncover new information which might help develop drugs to combat the disease.

Using cutting-edge gene sequencing technology they created a map of the 37 human mitochondrial genes.

The map has provided new insights into how the genes work and how any mutations can cause mitochondrial diseases.

for more on this, see http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8287707

 

[Annikki]

A strange coincidence

An article which appeared in Nature Biochemistry Journal a few weeks ago mentions Lycera is working on a drug to inhibit mitochondrial ATPases to treat autoimmune diseases:

Ken Garber

Nature Biotechnology
doi:10.1038/nbt0811-679

Published online
05 August 2011

Galvanized by ex-Pfizer researchers, Lycera is pursuing allosteric inhibitors of the mitochondrial ATPase and a nuclear receptor in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v29/n8/full/nbt0811-679.html