The Future of Medicine will come through Mitochondria


Prof. Volkmar WeissigWe are excited to invite you to the 16th World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria, happening from October 22–24, 2025, in Berlin.

Organized by the World Mitochondria Society, this annual event brings together top experts in mitochondrial research and medicine to share new discoveries and ideas in mitochondrial therapy, gene treatment, and mitochondrial transplantation.

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Mitochondria Transplantation Between Living Cells

Dr Julia A. VorholDr. Julia A. Vorholt, from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, will join us this year to present her most recent findings on "Mitochondrial Transplantation Between Living Cells" in a session entitled "Mitochondria Transplantation and Transfer

Mitochondria and the complex endomembrane system are hallmarks of eukaryotic cells. To date, it has been difficult to manipulate organelle structures within single live cells.

Dr. Vorholt developed a FluidFM-based approach to extract, inject and transplant organelles directly from and into living cells with subcellular spatial resolution. The technology combines atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and nanofluidics to achieve force and volume control with real-time inspection.

The approach enables the transfer of controlled quantities of mitochondria into cells while maintaining their viability and monitoring their fate in new host cells. Transplantation of healthy and drug-impaired mitochondria into primary keratinocytes allows real-time tracking of mitochondrial subpopulation rescue. After transfer of mitochondria into somatic cells and cell propagation over generations, she shows that donor mtDNA was replicated in recipient cells without the need for selection pressure.

The approach opens new prospects for the study of organelle physiology and homeostasis, but also for mechanobiology, synthetic biology, and therapy.

Remember that Targeting Mitochondria 2022 also gives you the chance to present your new research related to this session by submitting your abstract.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
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A Non-canonical Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Underlies Cellular Identity

Dr Paige ArnoldDr. Paige Arnold, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA, will join us this year to present her most recent findings on Tricarboxylic acid cycle, through a presentation entitled "A Non-canonical Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Underlies Cellular Identity".

Dr. Arnold states that the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a core metabolic pathway that produces reducing equivalents for energy production and critical biosynthetic intermediates. Despite the ubiquitous importance of TCA cycle-derived products for cell viability and proliferation, mammalian cells display significant heterogeneity in TCA cycle activity. The existence of diverse TCA cycle wiring across different cell types led her and her team to hypothesize that TCA cycle enzymes might assemble into multiple pathway configurations. By combining genetic co-essentiality mapping with isotope tracing studies in cancer cells and stem cells, they describe a biochemical alternative to the traditional TCA cycle that is cell-state dependent and required for cell fate transitions.

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers in this field.Book your spot.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

Noninvasive Treatment of Brain Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury With Near Infrared Light: Working Toward Clinical Implementation

Dr Maik HüttemannDr. Maik Hüttemann, from Wayne State University, USA, will join us this year to present his most recent findings on "Noninvasive Treatment of Brain Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury With Near Infrared Light: Working Toward Clinical Implementation" within a session, chaired by him, entitled "Translational Therapies - Focus on Infrared Therapies".

Dr. Hüttemann has  discovered specific wavelengths of near infrared light (IRL) that target and partially inhibit the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (COX). Modulation of COX activity via IRL allows him to control the electron transport chain (ETC) and would be therapeutically beneficial in conditions where mitochondria are hyperactive, such as during reperfusion following an ischemic event. ETC hyperactivity is detrimental to neurons because it causes hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential during reperfusion, leading to the generation of excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Dr. Hüttemann shows that noninvasive application of COX-inhibitory IRL in small and large animal models of brain ischemia/reperfusion injury limits ROS production and is highly neuroprotective. To translate these findings into the clinic, efficient and safe IRL delivery to the human head is essential, which is achieved through novel silicone based IRL delivery patches.

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers in this field. Book your spot.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

Folic Acid Supplementation Improves Drosophila Parkin Loss-of-Function Phenotype and Decreases Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide Levels in Vulnerable Dopaminergic Neurons

Dr Lori BuhlmanDr. Lori Buhlman, from Midwestern University Glendale, USA, will join us this year to present her most recent findings on "Folic Acid Supplementation Improves Drosophila Parkin Loss-of-Function Phenotype and Decreases Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide Levels in Vulnerable Dopaminergic Neurons".

A major hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta. While the vast majority of PD cases are idiopathic, a small percent of patients inherits disease-causing mutations in the PRKN gene, which encodes the parkin protein.

Parkin loss-of-function Drosophila have motor deficits and selective neurodegeneration in the protocerebral posterior later region 1 (PPL1), which is functionally homologous to the human substantia nigra. Dr. Buhlman uses this model to search for unique features that make PPL1 neurons vulnerable.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are heavily implicated in neurodegeneration; however, how loss of parkin leads to cell death is unclear. Using redox-sensitive cell-specific fluorescent reporters, Dr. Buhlam observed that elevated hydrogen peroxide levels are sustained as the parkin loss-of-function fly ages in PPL1 neurons but not in an unaffected cluster of dopaminergic neurons. Interestingly, demand for glutathione, an important mitochondrial antioxidant, is only elevated in PPL1.

She hypothesized that low levels of glutathione, combined with increases in mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide levels contribute to the dysfunction of mitochondria, oxidative stress and PPL1 neurodegeneration. To address this, she has repeated her study in flies raised on a folic acid-supplemented diet to increase cysteine amino acid synthesis, as cysteine is the rate-limiting component of glutathione synthesis.  Dr. Buhlman has observed increased lifespan, improved motor behavior, and decreased hydrogen peroxide levels in treated flies.

Her results could provide new information regarding the role of parkin in mitochondrial function and disease and indicate candidate therapeutic targets.

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers like Dr. Buhlman. Book your spot.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

 

Mitochondrial and Photo-Medicine - Recent Clinical Applications

Mitochondria 2022 speaker - Michael WeberDr. med. Michael Weber, President of European Laser Academy, Germany will join us this year to present his most recent findings on "Mitochondrial and Photo-Medicine - Recent Clinical Applications".

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers like Dr. WeberBook your spot.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

Autologous Mitochondrial Transplant for Cerebral Ischemia

Mitochondria 2022 Dr. Melanie WalkerDr. Melanie Walker from the University of Washington Medical School, USA,  will join us this year to present her most recent findings on "Autologous Mitochondrial Transplant for Cerebral Ischemia".

Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. More than 80% of strokes are the result of ischemia caused by blockage of one or more cerebral arteries. Lack of blood supply starves brain cells of necessary glucose and oxygen, and disturbs cellular homeostasis, eventually resulting in neuronal death. Based on many preclinical studies in animals, damage caused by ischemia can be reversed after infusing healthy mitochondria into injured tissues. An ongoing clinical trial in human hearts at Boston Children's Hospital has also demonstrated that transplanting autologous mitochondria via infusion or direct injection is well-tolerated and safe.

Dr. Walker and her clinical research team are currently recruiting for a first-in-human-brain trial to assess the safety of mitochondrial transplantation for ischemic-reperfusion injury in the brain. She will discuss their preclinical studies and status of their clinical trial.

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers like Dr. Walker. Book your spot.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

The Impact of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Extracellular Vesicles on Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Mitochondria 2022 Dr. Anna KrasnodembskayaDr. Anna Krasnodembskaya from Queen's University Belfast, The United Kingdom,  will join us this year to present her most recent findings on "The Impact of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Extracellular Vesicles on Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome" in a session entitled "Extracellular Vesicles & Mitochondria: The Target".

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers like Dr. Krasnodembskaya. Remember that you too can present your most recent findings related to this session by submitting your abstract.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com

Mitochondrial DNA as Extracellular Vesicle Cargo in Aging and Age-related Conditions

Mitochondria 2022 speakers-Nicole Noren Hooten

Dr. Nicole Noren Hooten from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, USA will join us this year to present her recent findings on “Mitochondrial DNA as Extracellular Vesicle Cargo in Aging and Age-related Conditions” in a session entitled “Extracellular Vesicles & Mitochondria: The Target”

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can be released into the extracellular space as circulating cell-free mitochondria DNA (ccf-mtDNA). Recent findings from our laboratory indicate that ccf-mtDNA in plasma can be encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are small nano-sized particles that are released by cells into the circulation and shuttle bioactive cargo as part of intercellular communication systems.

Dr. Noren Hooten's talk will discuss the role of mitochondrial DNA in extracellular vesicles in the context of aging and age-related conditions.

Join us in Targeting Mitochondria 2022 and benefit from the experience of professional researchers like Dr. Noren Hooten. Remember that you too can present your most recent findings related to this session by submitting your abstract.

Targeting Mitochondria 2022 Congress
October 26-28, 2022 - Berlin, Germany 
wms-site.com