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Discover the marvels and mischief of Mitochondria. These 'powerhouses of the cell' are in nearly every cell in our bodies and generate 90% of the energy we need to thrive and survive. So what happens if they run down and the cells start to die? 'Mito' diseases often look like other common ones. But they can be devastating. And there's no cure. Yet.
The Mity Mito
Alannah King
(PhD candidate, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge)
Mitochondria have earnt themselves a bit of a reputation – the only organelle to become an internet meme, mitochondria have found fame as the “powerhouse of the cell”. But is that accurate? Is that all there is to them? In this talk, we’ll be doing some mitochondria-myth-busting to learn about the mitochondria in our cells – and what happens when they are damaged.
A Global Energy Crisis: how do rare mitochondrial diseases arise and how can we treat them?
Professor Patrick Chinnery
(Professor of Neurology, University of Cambridge)
For quarter of a century, Patrick and his research group have been unravelling the reasons why the mighty mito sometimes fails to live up to its rockstar reputation, getting under the skin of how rare mito diseases come about and using these groundbreaking discoveries to forge a path towards better treatments. Perhaps, one day, we can even hope for a cure.
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