Cellular quality control mechanisms like mitophagy, a specialized form of autophagy that eliminates dysfunctional mitochondria, play a pivotal role in various physiological processes. Defects in mitophagy have been linked to neurodegeneration, heart failure, cancer, and aging.

A recent study, by researchers Marta Mauro-Lizcano, Federica Sotgia, and Michael P. Lisanti from the University of Salford, has shed light on the intricate link between mitophagy and cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this study, the researchers developed an innovative fluorescence-based approach to enrich subpopulations of cancer cells exhibiting high basal levels of mitophagy. Their findings reveal that elevated mitophagy activity enhances CSC properties, including self-renewal, ATP production, proliferation, and cell migration, underscoring the potential of targeting mitophagy as a therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.

On June 4, 2024, their research paper was published on the cover of Aging’s Volume 16, Issue 11, entitled, “Mitophagy and cancer: role of BNIP3/BNIP3L as energetic drivers of stemness features, ATP production, proliferation, and cell migration.”

Full blog - https://aging-us.org/2024/06/targeting-mitophagy-as-a-therapeutic-strategy-for-cancer-treatment/

Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205939

Corresponding authors - Federica Sotgia - [email protected], and Michael P. Lisanti - [email protected]

Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n872jCkc-q8

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Keywords - aging, mitophagy, BNIP3, BNIP3L(NIX), cancer stem cells (CSCs), flow cytometry (FACS)

About Aging-US

The mission of the journal is to understand the mechanisms surrounding aging and age-related diseases, including cancer as the main cause of death in the modern aged population.

The journal aims to promote 1) treatment of age-related diseases by slowing down aging, 2) validation of anti-aging drugs by treating age-related diseases, and 3) prevention of cancer by inhibiting aging. (Cancer and COVID-19 are age-related diseases.)

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