Mitochondrial transplantation aims to restore energy to diseased cells

Mitochondrial transplantation is an emerging medical technique aimed at restoring energy to diseased cells. When mitochondria are damaged by factors such as lack of oxygen, metabolic diseases, or mitochondrial DNA alterations, cells may lose functionality and die.

One approach is autologous mitochondrial transplantation, which involves extracting healthy mitochondria from a patient's own tissue and transferring them to affected areas. Skeletal muscle is a primary source for this procedure due to its high mitochondrial density. Through processes like homogenization, filtration, and centrifugation, clinicians can extract approximately 10 billion mitochondria from a tiny 0.1-gram muscle biopsy.

For clinical applications, extraction methods must be rapid, often completed within 20 to 30 minutes to allow for use during surgical interventions. Once extracted, the mitochondria must be verified for viability by testing membrane potential, oxygen consumption, and respiratory capacity to ensure they are functional and free of other cellular components.