A research group including Professor Yuma Yamada at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, through international joint research with the University of Cambridge in the UK, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and National Hospital Organization Hokkaido Medical Center, developed "Trans MIT," a nanocapsule that delivers mitochondrial components into cells. The research group presented a new technology for externally controlling mitochondrial function. The findings were published online in Materials Today Advances.
Provided by Hokkaido University
Mitochondria are important organelles responsible for cellular energy production. Their functional decline is associated with various diseases and cellular dysfunction. However, because mitochondria possess a double-membrane structure, efficiently introducing foreign molecules was previously considered difficult.
Developing MITO-Porter, a nanocapsule technology that delivers molecules to mitochondria utilizing membrane fusion, the research group constructed Trans MIT, a nanocapsule encapsulating mitochondrial components. As a result of applying Trans MIT to cultured cells, increases in mitochondrial respiratory activity (oxygen consumption rate) and activation of intracellular energy metabolism were confirmed. In addition, metabolic analysis suggested activation of metabolic pathways related to the TCA cycle (citric acid cycle) and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production, showing that changes in mitochondrial function influence the metabolic state of whole cells.
Different from conventional mitochondria-targeted molecular delivery, this is a new approach that brings changes to cellular function by introducing mitochondrial components into cells. It showed the possibility of serving as a foundation for cellular function control using mitochondria and for new cellular function modification technologies.
In the future, by advancing this technology, application to research on diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and regenerative medicine is anticipated. Particularly, the new concept of "utilizing mitochondria as medicine" has the possibility of leading to the realization of cell-controlled medicine different from conventional therapeutic methods, and is expected to bring new developments to future life science fields.
Journal Information
Publication: Materials Today Advances
Title: Trans MIT: microfluidically fabricated lipid nano capsules for robust intracellular delivery of mitochondria-derived components and metabolic enhancement
DOI: 10.1016/j.mtadv.2026.100912
This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd. (https://sci-news.co.jp/). Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited.