MitoSense Congratulates Greenwood Genetic Center on $1.1 Million in Federal Alzheimer’s Funding and New Genetic Study Demonstrating Mitochondrial Restoration

MitoSense Inc. congratulates its partner, Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), on receiving $1,106,000 in new federal funding to advance Alzheimer’s disease research and on the publication of a new peer reviewed genetic study from the same Alzheimer’s Initiative team demonstrating the impact of mitochondrial transplantation on cellular energy production.

The federal funding, supported by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will support the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Alzheimer’s Initiative, a partnership between Greenwood Genetic Center, MitoSense, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The funding will allow the Initiative to acquire advanced research tools that measure mitochondrial function, cellular respiration, and biological markers associated with neurodegenerative disease.

The same GGC research team recently published new findings examining a rare genetic variant in a gene called UQCRC1, which plays a critical role in how mitochondria generate energy. This gene is part of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, allowing cells to use oxygen and nutrients to produce ATP, the molecule that powers nearly all cellular activity.

In the study, researchers evaluated cells from a patient carrying the genetic variant and compared them to unaffected family members. Although mitochondrial protein levels appeared normal, functional testing showed that the patient’s cells were producing significantly less energy. Oxygen consumption was reduced and ATP production was impaired, indicating that the cell’s energy system was not functioning efficiently.

The team then introduced healthy mitochondria into the patient’s cells using mitochondrial transplantation techniques. After receiving healthy mitochondria, the impaired cells demonstrated a substantial improvement in energy production, including significantly increased ATP synthesis and improved cellular respiration.

In simple terms, when a genetic defect weakened the cell’s ability to produce energy, adding healthy mitochondria helped restore much of that lost energy capacity.

The full paper can be read here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214426926000145

These findings are significant because mitochondrial dysfunction is widely recognized as a central feature of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. By identifying genetic contributors to cellular energy failure and demonstrating that mitochondrial transplantation can reverse measurable deficits in laboratory testing, the GGC Alzheimer’s Initiative team is strengthening the scientific foundation for future therapeutic development.

This progress directly aligns with MitoSense’s mission to advance Mitochondria Organelle Transplantation, or MOT™, as a therapeutic platform designed to restore cellular energy in diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. MitoSense hopes this work will ultimately help people suffering from neurodegeneration and other conditions where impaired mitochondrial performance contributes to decline.

“The Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Alzheimer’s Initiative represents a powerful partnership between Greenwood Genetic Center, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and MitoSense,” said Van Hipp, Chairman of MitoSense. “The same team is producing rigorous genetic and functional data showing that restoring healthy mitochondria can significantly improve cellular energy. That is exactly the type of evidence needed as we work toward developing therapies aimed at helping patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.”

MitoSense, headquartered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, looks forward to continuing its collaboration with Greenwood Genetic Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to translate mitochondrial science into therapeutic approaches aimed at improving outcomes for patients affected by neurodegenerative disease and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements regarding future research, development activities, and the potential therapeutic benefits of mitochondrial transplantation technologies. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. MitoSense undertakes no obligation to update forward looking statements except as required by law.