Engineered coating lets mitochondria retain their ability to produce energy

Researchers have coated mitochondria with innovative materials without compromising their function, according to a study by IRCCS Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta (FINCB) and Politecnico di Milano. The research was conducted as part of the BraiNs joint laboratory, inaugurated in 2023.

Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the study combines the mitochondrial biology expertise of a group led by Dr. Valeria Tiranti of FINCB with the chemical and materials engineering expertise of a group led by Pierangelo Metrangolo of Politecnico di Milano. Tiranti works in the Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Complex Unit (SC) and heads the Fondazione Mariani Centre for Paediatric Mitochondrial Diseases.

Mitochondria are structures in cells that produce the energy cells need to function. When they do not work properly, they can be involved in several diseases, many of them rare. These include mitochondrial diseases, which affect tissues with high energy demands, such as the brain and muscle, and for which treatment options remain limited.

At the heart of the study are metal-organic frameworks (MOF), materials that can be modified for different uses. The materials were recognized in 2025 with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi. Applying them to mitochondria is complex, however, because mitochondria are delicate structures.

Researchers developed a process to coat the surface of mitochondria directly with these materials, using them in very small quantities. Even after coating, the mitochondria retain their ability to produce energy.

“The possibility of modifying the coating now opens up new research prospects: In the future, it will be possible to develop MOF with different characteristics depending on the objective, creating coatings capable of performing specific functions,” observes Metrangolo. One possible application, still experimental, is mitochondrial transplantation, a strategy that aims to transfer healthy mitochondria into cells where the existing ones do not function properly. “A specifically designed coating could, in the future, facilitate this transfer and the interaction between mitochondria and cells,” emphasizes Tiranti.

That possibility has yet to be verified. Further studies will be needed to determine whether the coating offers an advantage in transplantation compared with uncoated mitochondria.

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