Development of neuron-derived, mitochondria-containing extracellular vesicles for ALS treatment

Introduction: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disorder where mitochondrial dysfunction accelerates motor neuron degeneration [1]. Current FDA-approved therapeutics for ALS target individual events of mitochondrial dysfunction [2, 3] but this may not be sufficient to restore the function of damaged motor neurons. A novel approach to mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction is to deliver functional mitochondria to the damaged motor neurons. Therefore, we investigated the potential of neuron-derived mitochondria containing extracellular vehicles (EVs) as a novel therapeutic approach for ALS.

Purva Khare – Graduate research assistant, Duquesne University; Krithika S Rao – Post-doctoral research associate, University of Pittsburgh; Audrey Lawrence – Undergraduate student, Duquesne University; Adithri Pingali – High-school student, Duquesne University; Sruti S. Shiva – Professor, University of Pittsburgh; Donna B Stolz – Professor, University of Pittsburgh; Ming Sun – Research specialist, University of Pittsburgh; Carolanne E. Milligan – Professor, Wake Forest University; Devika S Manickam – Associate professor, Duquesne University