Mitochondria

Welcome to OMF Science Wednesdays! Every Wednesday (based on United States time zones), tune in here to read a little bit about pieces of science, research, and technology that connect to ME/CFS and OMF research projects. 

To kick things off, let’s talk about mitochondria.

Mitochondria are commonly referred to as the “powerhouse of the cell” because one of their primary roles is to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Normally, in the presence of oxygen (i.e., during aerobic respiration), mitochondria break down sugar to yield 15 times more ATP than cells are able to produce without oxygen.

What about mitochondria in people with ME/CFS? It’s likely that mitochondria don’t function correctly in people with ME/CFS, and this dysfunction can be linked to common symptoms like muscle pain, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise. In this area, OMF research out of the Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration specifically looked at B cells in people with ME/CFS, and their findings suggest that normal energy production is disrupted in these participants compared to healthy controls. Learn more about this project here.