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MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit

 
Read more at: Common genetic traits are influenced by variations in mitochondrial DNA

Common genetic traits are influenced by variations in mitochondrial DNA

23 August 2021

Professor Patrick Chinnery jointly led in the first population-scale study on how common metabolites in the blood are influenced by variations in the DNA of mitochondria (mtDNA) – the powerhouses of human cells. This collaboration between scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute , the University of Cambridge and others...


Read more at: The Cambridge Green Challenge – Bronze Award for the MRC MBU

The Cambridge Green Challenge – Bronze Award for the MRC MBU

10 June 2021

We are extremely proud to share the news that the MRC MBU’s Green Team has been awarded the Bronze award for the 2020-2021 academic year by the Sustainability Team at the University of Cambridge. The auditor really enjoyed meeting members of the team, saying that “It was a pleasure to audit this team, they’ve done...


Read more at: Named Scholarship for Mike Murphy and collaborator Rob Smith (Otago, NZ)

Named Scholarship for Mike Murphy and collaborator Rob Smith (Otago, NZ)

10 June 2021

Ten postgraduate students in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, New Zealand, have been awarded the Mike Murphy and Rob Smith Postgraduate Scholarships for 2021 . Before joining the MRC MBU (previously the MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit ) in 2001, Professor Mike Murphy was a member of the Department...


Read more at: MBU Scientists secure continued funding for research on Pearson Syndrome

MBU Scientists secure continued funding for research on Pearson Syndrome

2 June 2021

Michal Minczuk , leader of the MRC MBU's Mitochondrial Genetics research group, has been awarded a further grant from The Champ Foundation to continue his research into Pearson Syndrome - a multi-system disease caused by a deletion in mitochondrial DNA. Funding was awarded in 2017 for a two-year project, which led to the...


Read more at: An atlas of mitochondrial DNA genotype-phenotype associations in the UK Biobank

An atlas of mitochondrial DNA genotype-phenotype associations in the UK Biobank

17 May 2021

Published in Nature Genetics , a collaboration between Public Health and Primary Care, Clinical Neurosciences and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit has shown that genetic variants of maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) modify our risk of developing common diseases including type 2 diabetes and multiple...


Read more at: Investigation of autophagy targets in neurodegeneration - new collaboration

Investigation of autophagy targets in neurodegeneration - new collaboration

2 March 2021

Alex Whitworth leads one of three academic teams in Cambridge involved in a new collaboration set up through the Milner Therapeutics Consortium. Autophagy is a major protein and organelle recycling and degradation pathway and is an attractive therapeutic target against various human diseases. This collaboration will...


Read more at: Interface mobility between monomers in dimeric bovine ATP synthase participates in the ultrastructure of inner mitochondrial membranes

Interface mobility between monomers in dimeric bovine ATP synthase participates in the ultrastructure of inner mitochondrial membranes

25 February 2021

In a research article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA , Tobias Spikes, Martin Montgomery and John Walker have shown how the mobility in the interfaces between monomers in dimeric bovine ATP synthase participates in forming the characteristic and ever-changing ultrastructure of inner...


Read more at: The Cambridge Festival 2021

The Cambridge Festival 2021

11 February 2021

The Cambridge Festival is taking place online this year - from 26 March until 4 April. MBU We are sorry, but our "MBU Challenge" game is not yet ready to share. We have two existing computer games to share on 4 April: The Battle for the Mitochondrion! The Mitochondrion: Heteroplasmy There is a bug in Heteroplasmy, but it...


Read more at: Structural insights into the role of mitochondrial complex I in heart attack

Structural insights into the role of mitochondrial complex I in heart attack

29 January 2021

A collaborative research project led by Professor Judy Hirst at the MBU, working with Mike Murphy (MBU) and Thomas Krieg (Medicine), provides important new insights into the cell damage that occurs during heart attacks. This work, published in Nature Communications with MBU PhD student Zhan Yin as first author, focuses on...


Read more at: Review inspires image for Journal cover

Review inspires image for Journal cover

21 January 2021

Inspired by a collaborative review by James Stewart (Cologne) and Patrick Chinnery , published in September 2020, Nature Reviews Genetics has chosen an image designed by Patrick Morgan for its February 2021 cover. The review entitled, “Extreme heterogeneity of human mitochondrial DNA from organelles to populations” casts...