MitoKor: The mitochondrial connection

The diseases targeted by MitoKor - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus(NIDDM), and schizophrenia - might appear to be unconnected. What they all share, however, is a defect in the mitochondrial DNA of related organs, according to Robert Davis, vice president and chief scientific officer.

Mitochondria are the principal sites for the synthesis of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which stores and supplies energy in cells. In the mid-1980s, molecular biologist Giuseppe Attardi of the California Institute of Technology reported on the significant role mitochondria play in a number of rare childhood muscle and nerve diseases. ...