Precision Mitochondria
Backed by £66m, this programme sits within the Programmable Physiology opportunity space and aims to create a foundational toolkit for engineering the mitochondrial genome in vivo.
Programme structure
We’re funding 19 teams, each contributing to one or more of the four Technical Areas required to build this genetic toolkit.
Each Technical Area has a distinct objective:
TA1: Deliver
Focused on the delivery of nucleic acid payloads across the mitochondrial double membrane into the matrix.
TA2: Express
Focused on mitochondrial genome engineering and the expression of functional proteins or RNAs.
TA3: Maintain
Focused on ensuring the persistence, replication, and functionality of engineered mtDNA.
TA4: Transfer
Focused on achieving in vivo mitochondrial engineering via transplantation or direct toolkit delivery.
Meet the R&D Creators
Our Creator teams are world-leading experts spanning a range of fields, from nanotechnology and engineering biology to mitochondrial and evolutionary biology.
Crossing the Double Membrane: Platforms for DNA Transport to Mitochondria
Rocky Cranenburgh, Bitrobius Genetics
HDMDI: Pulling DNA into mitochondria with molecular motors
Michael Knop, Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg
Mito-RAPID: Finding RNA sequences that enter mitochondria
Sebastien Guilbaud, Irida Bio
Using Rickettsiale bacteria to deliver DNA to mitochondria
Jeanne Salje, University of Cambridge
Protein-linked nucleic acid design for mitochondrial delivery and expression
Pedro Rebelo-Guiomar, University of Cambridge
A genetically encoded system for mitochondrial RNA import
Lisa Doetsch, University of Cambridge
A Modular Platform for Mitochondrial Nucleic Acid Import, Recombination, and Extrusion
Hansong Ma, University of Birmingham
Engineered protein pores for delivering DNA into mitochondria
Aleksandra Filipovska, University of Western Australia + Kids Research Institute Australia
A bacteriophage-inspired system for delivering and expressing DNA inside mitochondria
Julian Willis, University of Cambridge
PRIME: Persistence and Reliability in Mitochondrial Engineering
Henry Lee + Nili Ostrov, Cultivarium
Programmable mitochondria (ProMiT): Comparing ways to deliver nucleic acids into mitochondria
Michal Minczuk, University of Cambridge
Mitochondrial Gibson Assembly: A synthetic recombination system for engineering mitochondrial DNA
Jim Stewart, Newcastle University
MIDAS: Optimising a delivery platform for personalised mitochondrial DNA
Cameron Alexander, University of Nottingham
A double-membrane vehicle for mitochondrial delivery
Luke Chao, Massachusetts General Hospital + Harvard Medical School
CONTROL-MITO: Chemical Genetic Toolkit for Controlling Mitochondrial Proteins
Andrew Wood, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh
MitoParticles: Using biological delivery particles to deliver DNA to mitochondria
Liyam Chitayat, company in stealth
PIONEER: An end-to-end platform for engineering the mitochondrial genome
Nazila Kamaly, Imperial College London
MitoDrive: making mitochondrial DNA edits spread and persist
Niall Armes, Gene Weaver
Harnessing natural heteroplasmy: what evolutionary blueprints reveal about keeping mitochondrial genomes stable
Florencia Camus, University College London