Mitochondrial transplantation between living cells may save dying organs

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of cells, which take up glucose and oxygen and in turn produce energy. But this central role in cellular function means that when things go awry it can have serious consequences for organ function, especially in those demanding a lot of energy like the heart and brain. Replacing malfunctioning mitochondria with versions taken from healthy cells is shaping up to be a promising but as yet experimental therapy to treat such conditions, and a new breakthrough brings the technique closer to clinical use.

Known as mitochondrial transplantation, the innovative therapy at the heart of this research has shown promise in animal studies as a way to rejuvenate tissues affected by mitochondrial dysfunction. It involves grafting tissues or injecting healthy mitochondria into damaged tissue, where they are absorbed by cells to help them heal, and has also been applied in rare cases to treat damaged hearts in newborns. has gone. However, its clinical use remains limited.

Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new method of mitochondrial transplantation that they say ensures a high survival rate of cells and offers unparalleled efficiency. The breakthrough hinges on a new ability to manipulate organelles, individual structures within cells, courtesy of a specially developed cylindrical nanosyringe.

This tiny device enables scientists to pierce the membranes of healthy cells, suck up spherical mitochondria, pierce damaged cell membranes, and place mitochondria in their new home. It does this with the help of laser light to precisely control the position of the syringe and pressure regulators that adjust its flow, enabling the transfer of incredibly small amounts of fluid.

This means that the procedure is minimally invasive, and laboratory tests found a high survival rate of over 80 percent in transplanted mitochondria. Once in the new cells, mitochondria were observed to fuse with existing thread-like networks of other mitochondria within approximately 20 min. According to the team, the results show that the approach has now reached the point of technical feasibility.

“Both donor and acceptor cells survive this minimally invasive procedure,” said the paper’s lead author, Christoph Gebelin.

The technique could be positioned as a way to treat diseased organs, but may also have uses in the realm of anti-aging, rejuvenating stem cells that deteriorate metabolic activity as they age. The scientists also plan to use this technique to study how mitochondria came about through an evolutionary process called endosymbiosis.

“We want to understand the processes that control how different cell compartments cooperate – and we hope to learn more about how endosymbioses develop over evolutionary time,” said study leader Julia Vorholt.

The research was published in the journal PLOS BiologyWhile the video below shows the technique in action.

Mitochondria transplantation between living cells

Source: ETH Zurich

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