The Medical Research Council has invested £50 million in a new programme aimed at improving treatments for mitochondrial diseases, a group of genetic disorders that affect around one in 5,000 people. The announcement, made on 5 August 2026, marks a significant push to understand how mutations in mitochondrial DNA cause disease and how that knowledge can be translated into therapies. MRC announcement
The new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mitochondrial Genome Therapeutics will bring together researchers from the University of Cambridge, the University of Birmingham, The University of Manchester, Heidelberg University, the University of Queensland and the Imagine Institute in Paris. The programme will also work with the Lily Foundation and industry partners worldwide to build a long-term UK research platform in the field.
Mitochondrial diseases currently have no cure, and the condition can lead to severe disability, progressive decline and premature death. Beyond inherited disorders, mutations in mitochondrial DNA are increasingly linked to neurodegeneration, metabolic disease, cardiovascular failure and age-related deterioration, underscoring the broader clinical relevance of the research.
Why the research matters
Project lead Professor Michal Minczuk of the University of Cambridge said the centre will aim to build the scientific foundations for entirely new therapeutic strategies and offer renewed hope to patients and families affected by mitochondrial disease. The centre will use emerging technologies to engineer the mitochondrial genome and create advanced models of common pathogenic mutations.
Dr Ceri Williams, Executive Director of Challenge Led Themes at the MRC, said the UK has been at the helm of mitochondrial science and that the new centre builds on earlier work, including mitochondrial replacement therapy, which prevents the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations. She said the interdisciplinary approach could improve prevention, detection and treatment, with the potential to protect families affected by the disease.
Patient groups and researchers look to long-term impact
Liz Curtis, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Lily Foundation, described the initiative as an ambitious and collaborative project with the potential to transform understanding of mitochondrial disease. She said the charity’s role will be to help ensure that family priorities shape the research while supporting the next generation of scientists.
The investment adds momentum to UK-led biomedical research at a time when genetic medicine is moving closer to more targeted interventions. For patients and clinicians, the new centre represents a focused attempt to turn fundamental science into practical treatments for a disease area where current options remain limited.
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