POWERHOUSE BIOLOGY is a communal effort to communicate mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial dysfunction, and a moonshot endeavor to enable human genome consolidation to the public.
Extrachromosomal mtDNA, a remarkable remnant of a distinct genome, leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. Dysfunctional mitochondria interconnect hallmarks of aging, are central to late-onset diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and propel the aging process in healthy individuals. Tackling mitochondrial dysfunction at the root means placing the 13 human protein-coding genes under more robust control in the nucleus. Robust control of expression of OXPHOS subunits at physiological levels ensures mitochondrial health, strengthening a node central to the extension of human health span. The transformative technology at the basis of this moonshot endeavor will accelerate progress in the aging and longevity community, move the frontiers of synthetic biology, and shape commercial initiatives that target mitochondrial disease.