About our group

The Consortium for Mitochondrial Research brings together a wide range of basic and clinical scientists from a spectrum of scientific disciplines across the UCL campus, together with UK and overseas associates. Our broad goal is to generate innovative experimental approaches and applications to illuminate major questions ranging from fundamental mechanisms of mitochondrial biology and bioenergetics to the role of mitochondria in disease.

Our ambition is to train the next generation of scientists and clinicians and to transform the investigation and management of mitochondrial related disease.

Our facilities

The technology is here: explore UCL’s Consortium for Mitochondrial Research, featuring cutting-edge tools for metabolic, bioenergetic, and imaging analysis.

Cell and molecular biology technologies

Light microscopy

Research groups

cell 3

Our research covers fundamental mitochondrial functions, mitochondrial genetics and evolution, core bioenergetics, physiological, stress and immune signalling, cell death modalities, and the role of mitochondria in determining cell fate, aging, primary and secondary mitochondrial disease, including neurodegenerative, neuromuscular disease, sepsis and cancer.

Ageing
Bioenergetics 
Cancer
Cell Biology and Cell Physiology 
Evolutionary Biology
Generation of Transgenic - Mouse models
Medicinal chemistry
Medical Physics
Mitochondrial DNA Replication and Mutations
Neurodegeneration, Neuroinflammation and Neuromuscular disease
Septic shock syndrome

Graduate Training Opportunities

UCL offers a diverse range of PhD research opportunities in mitochondrial biology, bioenergetics, and metabolism. Research projects cover various themes, including the molecular biology of mitochondrial proteins, cellular pathways to cell death, fundamental mitochondrial bioenergetics, and the role of mitochondria in neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory, and neuromuscular diseases, as well as in cancer. Clinical research also explores mitochondrial involvement in conditions such as sepsis, multiple organ failure, and neurological disorders.

Additionally, related fields such as chemical biology, medical physics, and nanotechnology offer interdisciplinary research opportunities, bridging mathematics, physics, and life sciences. Research within the Consortium of Mitochondrial Research (CfMR) is conducted across UCL’s biomedical and life sciences departments by leading experts in the field, employing state-of-the-art techniques to address fundamental and clinical research questions.

Information alert banner.

Prospective PhD students

Prospective PhD students are encouraged to contact consortium members directly, as various departmental and interdepartmental funding opportunities are available.

Recent papers

Unequal segregation of mitochondria during asymmetric cell division contributes to cell fate divergence in sister cells in vivo. 

Segos I, Van Eeckhoven J, Berger S, Mishra N, Lambie EJ, Conradt B.

Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 4;16(1):7174. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62484-5.

PMID: 40759648 Free PMC article.

Therapies for Mitochondrial Disease: Past, Present, and Future.  

Ball M, van Bergen NJ, Compton AG, Thorburn DR, Rahman S, Christodoulou J.

J Inherit Metab Dis. 2025 Jul;48(4):e70065. doi: 10.1002/jimd.70065.

PMID: 40714961 Free PMC article. Review.

The metabolic costs of meiotic drive. 

Bradshaw SL, Rodríguez E, Wang H, Yu CT, De Villiers De La Noue C, Hafezjee A, Pomiankowski A, Camus MF.

Proc Biol Sci. 2025 Jul;292(2050):20250779. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0779. Epub 2025 Jul 2.

PMID: 40592454 Free PMC article.

Hexokinase 2 interacts with PINK1 to facilitate mitophagy in astrocytes and restrain inflammation-induced neurotoxicity.  

Howden JH, Hakansson H, Nieto-Rostro M, McAdam R, Arber C, Brandon NJ, Kittler JT.

Cell Rep. 2025 Jun 24;44(6):115809. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115809. Epub 2025 Jun 17.

PMID: 40531619

High Content Analysis of Mitochondrial Function in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons.  

Little D, Luft C, Mosaku O, Ketteler R, Devine MJ, Gissen P.

Methods Mol Biol. 2025;2924:259-268. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-4530-7_19.

PMID: 40307649

Metabolic remodeling in hiPSC-derived myofibers carrying the m.3243A>G mutation.  

Valdebenito GE, Chacko AR, Chung CY, Sheshadri P, Chi H, O’Callaghan B, Madej MJ, Houlden H, Rouse H, Morales V, Bianchi K, Tedesco FS, Pitceathly RDS, Duchen MR.

Stem Cell Reports. 2025 Apr 8;20(4):102448. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102448. Epub 2025 Mar 13.

PMID: 40086445 Free PMC article.

Endocrine Dysfunction in Primary Mitochondrial Diseases.  

Varughese R, Rahman S.

Endocr Rev. 2025 May 9;46(3):376-396. doi: 10.1210/endrev/bnaf002.

PMID: 39891580 Free PMC article. Review.

Inhibition of the PI3K-AKT-MTORC1 axis reduces the burden of the m.3243A>G mtDNA mutation by promoting mitophagy and improving mitochondrial function. 

Chung CY, Singh K, Sheshadri P, Valdebenito GE, Chacko AR, Costa Besada MA, Liang XF, Kabir L, Pitceathly RDS, Szabadkai G, Duchen MR.

Autophagy. 2025 Apr;21(4):881-896. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2024.2437908. Epub 2024 Dec 12.

PMID: 39667405 Free PMC article.

Optimizing rare disorder trials: a phase 1a/1b randomized study of KL1333 in adults with mitochondrial disease.  

Pizzamiglio C, Stefanetti RJ, McFarland R, Thomas N, Ransley G, Hugerth M, Grönberg A, Serrano SS, Elmér E, Hanna MG, Hansson MJ, Gorman GS, Pitceathly RDS.

Brain. 2025 Jan 7;148(1):39-46. doi: 10.1093/brain/awae308.

PMID: 39657714 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.

Multistate Gene Cluster Switches Determine the Adaptive Mitochondrial and Metabolic Landscape of Breast Cancer.  

Menegollo M, Bentham RB, Henriques T, Ng SQ, Ren Z, Esculier C, Agarwal S, Tong ETY, Lo C, Ilangovan S, Szabadkai Z, Suman M, Patani N, Ghanate A, Bryson K, Stein RC, Yuneva M, Szabadkai G.

Cancer Res. 2024 Sep 4;84(17):2911-2925. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-23-3172.

PMID: 38924467 Free PMC article.

Mitochondrial clearance and increased HSF-1 activity are coupled to promote longevity in fasted Caenorhabditis elegans. 

Tataridas-Pallas N, Aman Y, Williams R, Chapman H, Cheng KJH, Gomez-Paredes C, Bates GP, Labbadia J.

iScience. 2024 Apr 27;27(6):109834. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109834. eCollection 2024 Jun 21.

PMID: 38784016 Free PMC article.

Validation of blue- and clear-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protocols to characterize mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complexes. 

Aref J, Lee S, Sriphoosanaphan S, Falabella M, Yang SY, Taanman JW.

PLoS One. 2025 Sep 18;20(9):e0332065. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332065. eCollection 2025.

PMID: 40966204

Fluorescent protein tagging of C. elegans core apoptosis pathway components reveals mitochondrial localization of CED-9 Bcl-2, CED-4 Apaf1 and CED-3 Caspase in non-apoptotic and apoptotic cells. 

Lambie EJ, Greig A, Conradt B.

Cell Death Differ. 2025 Aug 27. doi: 10.1038/s41418-025-01567-8. Online ahead of print.

PMID: 40866673

Enhancing autophagy by redox regulation extends lifespan in Drosophila.  

Lennicke C, Bjedov I, Grönke S, Menger KE, James AM, Castillo-Quan JI, van Leeuwen LAG, Foley A, Buricova M, Adcott J, Montoya A, Kramer HB, Shliaha PV, Logan A, Cabreiro F, Murphy MP, Partridge L, Cochemé HM.

Nat Commun. 2025 Jun 25;16(1):5379. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60603-w.

PMID: 40562835 Free PMC article.