Mitophagy Signalling in Health and Disease

Every day, the cells in your body are eating their own damaged parts to stay healthy, and this research aims to figure out exactly how that process works. This process, called autophagy, clears out worn-out components like mitochondria. When it fails, it is linked to major diseases including cancer and Parkinson’s. Scientists do not yet understand the molecular machinery that controls autophagy, which makes it impossible to design drugs that could fix it when it goes wrong. This project will map the precise signals and protein interactions that trigger and regulate autophagy at the molecular level. If successful, the work could reveal specific targets for new drugs that restore healthy autophagy in diseased cells. This is fundamental science—there is no immediate clinical application. But similar fundamental discoveries about cellular recycling pathways have already led to experimental treatments for neurodegeneration and cancer. A clearer molecular picture of autophagy could eventually underpin therapies for conditions where cellular waste builds up and causes damage.