Understanding and finding treatments for mitochondrial energy disorders

Mitochondrial respiratory chain disease mechanistic and therapeutic modeling

NIH-funded research Children's Hosp of Philadelphia · NIH-11090269

This work aims to discover new ways to help people with primary mitochondrial diseases, which are conditions that affect how our bodies create energy.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionChildren's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Philadelphia, United States)
Project IDNIH-11090269 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Primary mitochondrial diseases are complex energy disorders with many different causes and symptoms, and currently, there are no cures or approved treatments. This project uses human patient cells and simple animal models, like worms and zebrafish, to understand how these diseases work. By studying these models, researchers hope to find specific targets and promising new therapies. The goal is to develop personalized treatments that can significantly improve the health of patients with different types of mitochondrial disease.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: This foundational work is for patients with primary mitochondrial diseases, especially those with genetic variations affecting respiratory chain complexes.

Not a fit: Patients without a primary mitochondrial disease would not directly benefit from this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to the development of new, targeted treatments that improve the health and quality of life for individuals living with primary mitochondrial diseases.

How similar studies have performed: While no cure exists, this project builds on prior work using similar animal and cell models to understand disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic leads.

Where this research is happening

Philadelphia, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Animal Diseases
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.