At this time, there is no cure for mitochondrial disease.

Most therapies include exercise and nutritional supplements that aim to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. In many cases, those living with the disease may need devices and therapies to help them breathe, eat, move and learn.

Some patients see lower fatigue, improved health, and better quality of life when they follow an exercise program designed specifically for them. These programs incorporate strength and aerobic exercise.

Adult woman lifting a weight using a black couch as support

Research is still being done to evaluate the impact of nutritional supplements that are linked to ATP production in our cells. These include creatine, carnitine, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and various iterations of the “mito cocktail”.

There is hope for the future. MitoCanada’s vision is to create a world where all lives are powered by healthy mitochondria. Exciting treatment possibilities are on the horizon. Some of these include:

  • recruiting healthy mitochondria or encouraging healthy mitochondria to multiply and outnumber damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria
  • repairing or bypassing defective mitochondria
  • stimulating development of new and healthy mitochondria
  • mitochondria replacement therapy (MRT) which could potentially prevent the passing on of mitochondrial mutations from parent to child