Scientists coat mitochondria with advanced material while preserving energy production

Mitochondria are the engines of our cells, the structures that convert nutrients into the energy that keeps us alive. When they break down, the consequences ripple through the body—particularly in organs that demand the most power, like the brain and muscles. Doctors have few tools to fix this damage. Now, researchers at two Italian institutions have developed a way to wrap these fragile structures in an advanced material while keeping them working, a finding that could eventually reshape how we treat mitochondrial disease.

The work emerged from a collaboration between IRCCS Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta and Politecnico di Milano, two institutions that joined forces in 2023 through a joint laboratory called BraiNs. Dr. Valeria Tiranti, who runs the Fondazione Mariani Centre for Paediatric Mitochondrial Diseases at the first institution, brought deep knowledge of how mitochondria fail. Professor Pierangelo Metrangolo from the engineering school brought expertise in chemistry and materials design. Together, they tackled a problem that had stymied researchers for years: how to coat mitochondria without destroying them.

The team turned to Metal-Organic Frameworks, or MOFs—a class of engineered materials whose properties can be customized for specific tasks. The field gained prominence when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2025 to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for pioneering work in this area. But applying these materials to mitochondria presented a formidable challenge. Mitochondria are extraordinarily delicate. Even small disturbances can cripple their ability to produce energy, rendering them useless for any therapeutic purpose.

The researchers developed a technique that deposits tiny amounts of MOF material directly onto the mitochondrial surface. The critical test came next: would the coated mitochondria still generate energy? The answer was yes. Tests confirmed that the coating could modify the surface without compromising the fundamental function that makes mitochondria valuable in the first place. This was not a minor achievement. It meant the door had opened to a new category of possibility.

The real promise lies in customization. Professor Metrangolo noted that researchers can now design different coatings tailored to different objectives, each one engineered to perform specific functions depending on what the science requires. One application that researchers are already imagining is mitochondrial transplantation—an experimental technique in which healthy mitochondria are introduced into cells whose own mitochondria have stopped working properly. A specially designed coating might eventually make it easier to deliver these healthy structures and help them integrate with their new cellular home. Dr. Tiranti emphasized that a coating designed for this purpose could facilitate both the transfer and the interaction between transplanted mitochondria and the recipient cells.

But this remains theoretical. The study, led by PhD candidate Marco D'Amato and funded through an Italian Ministry of Health research initiative, has demonstrated that coated mitochondria can function. It has not yet shown whether they perform better during actual transplantation than uncoated mitochondria would. That question requires further research, and the path from laboratory discovery to clinical treatment is long. Still, for patients with mitochondrial diseases—conditions that strike hardest at the brain and muscles, organs that consume energy voraciously—this represents a meaningful step toward options that do not yet exist.