The Importance of a Quality Control System for Mitochondrial Genomes

In this episode, Dan speaks with Bruce Hay, Professor of Biology at Caltech. Much of Professor Hay’s work focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate cell death, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. In brief, Professor Hay's research has shown that “we want to slow or stop… accumulation of the mutant genomes that inexorably occurs as we age”. Professor Hay and his team have done work showing that when they stimulate mitophagy – a process in which mutant mitochondria are selected, tagged, and then shipped to organelles that break them down - they might allow healthy mitochondria to substitute in their place, rejuvenating cellular function, a finding that could have profound implications for those of us seeking to ward off aging.