Elias Adriaenssens

Research Group “Mitochondrial Biology”

Research - Brief summary

Our lab studies how cells protect themselves against mitochondrial damage and maintain a healthy population of these essential organelles. Mitochondria are constantly exposed to damage and stress, so cells must identify and remove dysfunctional mitochondria while preserving the healthy mitochondrial network. Failure of these quality control mechanisms is linked to a wide range of human diseases, from Parkinson’s disease to life-threatening inherited mitochondrial disorders, underscoring the importance of understanding how cells maintain mitochondrial health. 

We are interested in discovering the molecular mechanisms that protect mitochondria from damage and maintain their function. Cells have evolved multiple layers of mitochondrial quality control, from preventing and repairing damage at the level of individual components to selectively removing mitochondria when damage can no longer be contained. We seek to understand how cells sense mitochondrial damage, decide when and how to intervene, and ultimately determine whether damaged mitochondria can be repaired or must be removed. 

Our lab combines biochemical reconstitution, cell biology and structural biology approaches to understand these processes from the molecular to the cellular level. We move between cells and purified systems to identify the molecular machinery that protects mitochondria and dissect the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial quality control. By rebuilding mitochondrial quality control pathways in vitro, we can study these processes in a simplified system and connect their molecular mechanisms to their function in cells. Through this combination of approaches, we seek to understand how cells preserve mitochondrial health and why these protective mechanisms fail in disease. 

Curriculum Vitae

Selected publications