The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded Maria Neginskaya, Ph.D., a five-year, $2.1 million grant to identify the molecular mechanisms that underlie damage to mitochondria (the cell’s powerhouses) due to heart attack, stroke, or neurological disorders.

Dr. Neginskaya’s research suggests that mitochondrial damage stems, at least in part, from the formation of an opening in the organelle’s membrane called the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). The new study will combine high-resolution cryoimaging, structural proteomics, and genetic modifications to identify the protein complex responsible for mPTP formation as well as new mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction independent of the mPTP. The findings could identify new therapies for preventing the mPTP from opening and inhibition of mPTP independent mitochondrial damage, thereby reducing the tissue damage induced by various diseases.

Dr. Neginskaya is a research assistant professor of medicine at Einstein. (1R35GM156982-01)