Mitigating mitochondrial mutational meltdown: can we save the species?

Mon 27 February

Department of Chemistry

A Lecture by Professor Patrick Chinnery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge.

The third talk in a series of lectures organised by the Cambridge Philosophical Society in the Lent Term 2023.

Abstract: Mitochondria are sub-microscopic organelles present in every cell. They convert the breakdown products of food into a form of energy the cell needs to function and survive. An unfortunate by-product is the generation of toxic oxygen free radicals that can damage DNA within each mitochondrion. With a limited capacity for repair, these mutations are passed down the maternal line, where they predispose to disease, can shorten our lifespan, and are threatening our own survival. New biological insights have cast light on the mechanisms involved, but is Homo sapiens facing mutational meltdown?

Cost: free