Scientists identified phosphatidylcholine loss as a key driver of mitochondrial aging and showed that restoring it can rejuvenate cellular energy networks. Why do cells age, and why do people gradually lose energy and vitality over time? Scientists have long focused on mitochondria, the tiny structures inside cells responsible for producing energy. Researchers now understand that [...]
A newly developed therapy inspired by bacteria residing within tumors offers a different way to combat cancer by targeting how tumor cells produce energy. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a new cancer treatment by borrowing a strategy from bacteria that live inside tumors. Instead of attacking cancer cells directly, the approach [...]
A strange bead-like motion inside cells may be the secret to keeping their DNA—and health—in balance. Mitochondria are often described as the power plants of the cell because they produce the energy cells need to survive. To support this role, they carry their own small set of genetic instructions called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Inside each [...]
Researchers have identified a small-molecule compound that appears to counteract weight gain and metabolic damage in mice exposed to a long-term Western diet. A drug candidate developed by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio kept mice from becoming obese even after long-term exposure to a sugar-rich, fat-heavy Western diet. [...]
Glutathione balance in the ER, controlled by SLC33A1, is essential for proper protein folding and disease prevention. Glutathione is one of the cell’s most versatile defenders, an antioxidant that neutralizes harmful molecules, repairs damage, and helps keep essential systems running smoothly. But scientists are discovering that its role is far more complex and consequential than [...]
A novel method for directing mitochondria to specific cells could reshape how scientists approach diseases driven by cellular dysfunction. Scientists have unveiled a new way to deliver one of the cell’s most vital components exactly where it is needed. Led by Botond Roska at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), the team [...]
Red-light therapy devices are showing up in dermatology offices, locker rooms, and homes, propelled by a market projected to top $1 billion by 2030. Most of the consumer hype is noise. But a growing stack of clinical evidence is catching up to the marketing, and a new Nature feature digs into what researchers actually know about how and why shining certain wavelengths of light on the body…
Scientists are investigating how exercise-triggered stress reshapes the cell’s energy systems, and whether those same mechanisms could eventually help counter metabolic disease. Don’t like the gym? Exercise scientist Ryan Montalvo gets it. He still goes anyway, because the physical strain of exercise often leads to lasting health benefits. Although workouts can feel intimidating, exercise…
Scientists discovered that mitochondria inside plant cells can pull oxygen away from chloroplasts, revealing a hidden mechanism that may help plants adapt to stress. A team of scientists at the University of Helsinki has discovered a previously unknown interaction inside plant cells. Their research shows that mitochondria can draw molecular oxygen away from chloroplasts. This [...]
Researchers from UNIGE and Marburg have shown that D-cysteine, the “mirror” form of cysteine, can selectively target specific cancer cells. Many cancer treatments harm healthy tissue along with tumors, often leading to serious side effects. To reduce this collateral damage, researchers are searching for therapies that act only on cancer cells. An international research team [...]