Nanoscale injectors can transplant power-generating mitochondria directly into failing human cells
Nano-engineered injectors can now bypass cellular defenses to transplant healthy mitochondria into failing cells, providing a mechanism to restore energy production in tissues affected by metabolic and neurological disorders.
A specialized fluidic force microscope equipped with a hollow probe just 200 nanometers wide can now pierce a cell's membrane to deliver healthy mitochondria directly into its cytoplasm. Developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, this technique addresses mitochondrial dysfunction, the root cause of conditions like myopathy and Parkinson's disease. Mitochondria are the only organelles with their own DNA, generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation to power cellular work.