Mitochondria and Creatine: Perspectives and Strategies
Dr. David Rizo Roca, Karolisnka Institutet, Sweden, will join the 16th World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria 2025 to tal about "Mitochondria and Creatine: Perspectives and Strategies".
Summary
Creatine supplementation is widely used for its benefits in muscle performance and energy metabolism. However, recent research has linked elevated creatine levels with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
This talk will explore the relationship between creatine metabolism, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial function, highlighting key findings from the latest research.
World Mitochondria Society
Annual World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria
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Fighting Fire with Fire: Boosting T Cell Therapy by Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer
It is a great pleasure to announce that Prof. Luca Gattinoni, Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Germany, will join Targeting Mitochondria 2025 as a major speaker.
Presentation Title: Fighting Fire with Fire: Boosting T Cell Therapy by Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer.
Key Points
- Mitochondrial loss and dysfunction drive T cell exhaustion, representing major barriers to successful T cell-based immunotherapies.
- Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) form nanotubular connections with T cells, enabling mitochondrial transfer into T cells.
- Transferred mitochondria enhance T cell mitochondrial mass and metabolic fitness.
- Mitochondria-boosted T cells exhibit resistance to exhaustion and demonstrate superior antitumor activity.
World Mitochondria Society
Annual World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria
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Prof. Yosuke Togashi to Present Groundbreaking Insights on Mitochondrial Transfer and Immune Evasion in Cancer
Prof. Togashi’s upcoming lecture follows his landmark publication in Nature (February 2025), where his team uncovered a novel immune evasion mechanism in cancer: the direct transfer of mutated mitochondria from cancer cells to tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs).
Why Prof. Togashi’s Contribution Is Strategic
- Discovery of Mitochondrial Transfer as an Immune Evasion Mechanism
Prof. Togashi and colleagues demonstrated that cancer cells transfer mutated mitochondria to tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs), leading to functional impairment of the immune response. - Homoplasmic Replacement in T Cells
This transfer causes replacement of healthy T cell mitochondria with cancer-derived, mutation-bearing mitochondria—effectively sabotaging T cell metabolism, memory formation, and anti-tumor function. - Inhibition of Mitophagy via USP30
He uncovered that mitophagy-inhibitory molecules, especially USP30, are transferred along with the mitochondria, preventing the degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria in T cells. - Impact on Immunotherapy Resistance
The study linked mitochondrial transfer to poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in melanoma and lung cancer patients, providing a novel biomarker and therapeutic target to overcome resistance. - Therapeutic Reversibility
Blocking mitochondrial transfer or inhibiting USP30 restored T cell function, paving the way for new combinatory approaches to boost immunotherapy efficacy.
A New Era in Cancer Immunometabolism
Prof. Togashi’s insights underscore the critical need to rethink cancer metabolism and immune resistance at the mitochondrial level. His work bridges cancer biology, immunology, and mitochondrial medicine—a core mission of the Targeting Mitochondria community.
How Mitochondria Organize Their Powerhouse Machinery for Optimal Performance
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Florent Waltz from the University of Basel, Switzerland, will be presenting at the Targeting Mitochondria 2025 congress in Berlin, Germany, on October 22-24, 2025.
Dr. Waltz will share insights from his groundbreaking research on "How Mitochondria Organize Their Powerhouse Machinery for Optimal Performance" with a special focus on photosynthetic organisms.
Key Highlights:
- In Situ Visualization: Researchers employed advanced imaging techniques to observe the mitochondrial respiratory chain within intact cells, providing a detailed view of its native architecture.
- Respiratory Supercomplexes: The study offers insights into how respiratory complexes assemble into supercomplexes, which are crucial for efficient electron transport and energy production in cells.
- Functional Implications: Understanding the organization of these supercomplexes sheds light on their role in cellular metabolism and energy conversion, potentially informing research into mitochondrial-related diseases.
Perspective:
- Challenging previous assumptions: The findings challenge long-standing models that assumed a more fluid, random distribution of respiratory chain components in mitochondrial membranes.
- Biological relevance: By analyzing structures in situ, this study underscores the importance of studying macromolecular organization in native cellular contexts, rather than relying only on purified proteins.
- Broader implications: These insights are critical not only for basic mitochondrial biology but also for understanding mitochondrial dysfunction in aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders.
- New model for mitochondrial function: This study supports a model in which the geometrical and biochemical compartmentalization within cristae contributes significantly to the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation.
These findings enhance our comprehension of mitochondrial function and may have implications for addressing metabolic disorders linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Florent Waltz leads research at the University of Basel focusing on mitochondrial biology and evolution in photosynthetic organisms, particularly micro-algae. His laboratory employs state-of-the-art imaging technologies to reveal the intricate details of how these essential organelles function and adapt.
Development of Mitochondria-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Disease Treatment
We are pleased to announce that Prof. Kosuke Kusamori from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, will be presenting his pioneering research on "Development of Mitochondria-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Disease Treatment."
Summary
In recent years, the application of mitochondria isolated from cells for disease treatment has gained increasing attention, with their efficacy demonstrated in several diseases. However, the functions and characteristics of isolated mitochondria remain largely unknown, and their kinetics after administration into the body have yet to be fully elucidated.
Prof. Kusamori has been investigating the physical properties and in vivo kinetics of isolated mitochondria. In this talk, Prof. Kusamori will present his research on mitochondria-based therapeutic strategies aimed at advancing mitochondrial therapeutics.
World Mitochondria Society
Annual World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria
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Keynote Speech: Targeting Mitochondrial Channels: Update and Strategies
Keynote Speech: Targeting Mitochondrial Channels: Update and Strategies
In his keynote speech, Prof. Szewczyk will provide the latest insights into the role of mitochondrial channels in cellular function and disease. He will discuss recent advancements and strategic approaches for targeting these channels, highlighting their potential in therapeutic interventions.
About Adam Szewczyk
Adam Szewczyk is a Professor of Biochemistry and former director of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology (Polish Academy of Sciences) in Poland, and since 2022, he has served as the President of the Polish Biochemical Society. He completed his chemical studies at Warsaw University and his postdoctoral fellowship at Bern University (Switzerland), Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology-Nice University (France), and at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. He is the Head of the Laboratory of Intracellular Ion Channels at Nencki Institute.
His research is focused on the role of ion channels on mitochondrial function and intracellular ion channels pharmacology and biophysical properties of mitochondrial potassium channels.
World Mitochondria Society
Annual World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria
October 22-24, 2025 - Berlin, Germany
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Targeting Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier: Impact on Future Metabolic Therapies
Prof. Edmund Kunji from the University of Cambridge will give a major talk entitled Targeting mitochondrial pyruvate carrier: impact on future metabolic therapies, during the Targeting Mitochondria 2025 Congress, which will be held on October 22-24, in Berlin, Germany.
About Prof. Kunji's talk:
Fifty years after the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) was first identified, researchers have now resolved its molecular structure and mechanism of action. In a landmark study published in Science Advances, Sichrovsky et al. (2025) unveiled how this critical mitochondrial complex mediates pyruvate transport and how its inhibition could be leveraged for therapeutic purposes in cancer, metabolic disorders, and more.
About his outstanding study:
Major Discoveries of the Study by Prof. Edmund Kunji and his teams
Molecular Structure of MPC:
The authors used cryo-electron microscopy to capture the architecture of the human MPC complex. They discovered that MPC forms a heterodimeric transport unit (MPC1/MPC2), creating a selective channel that guides pyruvate across the inner mitochondrial membrane.
Mechanism of Transport and Inhibition:
The study revealed how small-molecule inhibitors bind to the MPC complex and block its function, offering a blueprint for drug development. Structural analysis pinpointed specific binding sites that explain both transport dynamics and inhibition sensitivity.
Conserved Functionality:
Evolutionary conservation of the MPC mechanism across species (including yeast and human) underscores its universal biological role in cellular energy homeostasis.
Therapeutic Implications
Cancer:
Some tumors overexpress MPC to fuel high mitochondrial activity. MPC inhibitors could starve these cells of essential metabolites, selectively disrupting their growth.
Metabolic Diseases:
In conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), blocking MPC forces hepatocytes to burn fat instead of relying on glucose, leading to reduced liver fat accumulation.
Regenerative Medicine & Hair Growth:
MPC inhibition has been shown to stimulate lactate production, which may promote hair follicle cell activation, opening potential new treatments for alopecia.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction & Neurodegeneration:
Targeting MPC may allow modulation of energy metabolism in neurodegenerative and mitochondrial diseases, where ATP production and redox balance are impaired.
Broader Impact
Drug Development:
The structural elucidation of MPC provides a molecular framework for designing selective modulators, setting the stage for new classes of metabolic drugs.
Precision Medicine:
Understanding individual differences in MPC structure/function may lead to personalized metabolic therapies tailored to genetic or disease-specific metabolic profiles.
Synthetic Biology & Bioenergetics:
The detailed MPC model can inform the engineering of customized metabolic pathways, supporting advances in synthetic biology, cell therapies, and biotechnology.
Mitochondria & Organelle Crosstalk - Rethinking Organelle Crosstalk: Mitochondrial-Derived Vesicles in Peroxisome Biogenesis Presented by Dr. Ayumu Sugiura
At the heart of cellular metabolism, mitochondria and peroxisomes play tightly interconnected roles in lipid regulation, redox homeostasis, and energy dynamics. While direct contacts between these organelles have long been observed, the mechanisms underlying their communication and biological significance are only beginning to emerge.
In an insightful presentation, Dr. Ayumu Sugiura of Juntendo University, Japan, introduces a compelling hypothesis: mitochondrial-derived vesicles (MDVs) may serve as essential mediators in peroxisome biogenesis. These vesicles, generated by mitochondria in response to cellular cues, could carry lipids, enzymes, or signaling molecules critical for initiating or modulating peroxisomal function.
“Mitochondrial-derived vesicles may provide a missing mechanistic link in understanding how mitochondria influence peroxisome formation and specialization,” says Dr. Sugiura.
His talk emphasized that this vesicular communication is not a byproduct of stress or degradation but a targeted and regulated form of inter-organelle signaling, reflecting a deeper evolutionary connection.
Understanding MDVs and their role in peroxisome biology may open new avenues in treating metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and inherited mitochondrial syndromes, where organelle cooperation is often impaired.
This new perspective encourages scientists to rethink organelle crosstalk not as static interactions but as dynamic exchanges of molecular information, and places MDVs at the center of this emerging dialogue.
