MitoMetabLab Publications
Welcome to Team MitoMetabLab's Library! This is your one-stop shop for all of our latest research findings. If you are interested in reading the entire paper, simply click on the linked article (it will open in a new window/tab)!
2025
2025
Led by TMED MSc graduate (2024) Abhishek Shastry, this study introduces Confidence, a web-based platform for analyzing differences in gene expression, scoring genes without bias, and identifying enriched biological pathways. The tool is designed to be fast, intuitive, and accessible to researchers without extensive programming experience.
Why it Matters: Confidence streamlines complex bioinformatics workflows, making advanced gene expression and pathway analyses more accessible to a wider range of researchers, which can accelerate discoveries across diverse fields.
Led by TMED MSc student Dalia M. Miller, this review explores how preclinical models of mitochondrial dysfunction, ranging from early cell cultures to advanced CRISPR-based and mitochondrial replacement systems, help us understand both rare inherited mitochondrial diseases and acquired mitochondrial damage in common complex conditions.
Why it Matters: By evaluating the strengths and limitations of these models, this review highlights how they drive deeper insight into disease mechanisms and propel the development of more effective therapies.
Led by TMED MSc graduate (2024) Abhishek Shastry, this study uses the MNX (Mitochondrial–Nuclear eXchange) mouse model to show that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype, specifically C57 versus C3H, modifies how metabolite profiles in skeletal muscle and plasma respond to a high-fat diet, influencing body fat accumulation and insulin resistance.
Why it Matters: It reveals that mtDNA variation alone can reshape metabolic pathways and disease risk, even when nuclear DNA is the same, highlighting a crucial role for mitochondrial genetics in cardiometabolic disease susceptibility.
2024
Led by TMED PhD candidate Mia Wilkinson, this study demonstrates that platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics closely mirror those of skeletal muscle in C57BL/6J mice. We showed that measures of mitochondrial respiration in platelets strongly correlate with those in gastrocnemius muscle, suggesting platelets may serve as a minimally invasive proxy for muscle mitochondrial health.
Why it Matters: This work opens the door to using blood-based (liquid biopsy) tests to monitor muscle mitochondrial function, which could accelerate biomarker-driven insights into cardiometabolic disease.
2023
Led by Abhishek Shastry, this review explains how circulating metabolites, small molecules in the blood, reflect disruptions in key mitochondrial metabolic pathways like glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, and amino acid breakdown, and how these disruptions contribute to cardiometabolic disease.
Why it Matters: By highlighting how metabolomics can reveal mitochondrial system-wide dysfunction, it lays the foundation for using these circulating markers as precision diagnostic tools and therapeutic guides in personalized medicine.
Led by TMED MSc student (and now PhD candidate) Mia Wilkinson, this review discusses how platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics, measuring the energy function of mitochondria in platelets, can serve as a minimally invasive biomarker for mitochondrial health in diverse diseases.
Why it Matters: It lays the groundwork for replacing invasive tissue biopsies with a simple blood test to assess mitochondrial function, potentially transforming how we monitor and diagnose mitochondrial-related disorders.
2022
Led by Queen’s Life Sciences alumna Emily Mason (currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia), this review on Medium-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD) explains the pathogenesis, diagnostic tools, and treatment strategies for this common inherited metabolic disorder of fatty acid β-oxidation.
Why it Matters: It consolidates the latest clinical and therapeutic insights, making it easier for clinicians to recognize, manage, and treat MCADD effectively—especially during early critical stages.
2021
Led by TMED alumni Austin Read (MSc 2021) and Rachel Bentley (PhD 2024), this review explores how mitochondrial iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters, key components of the electron transport chain, play a critical role in cellular signaling and oxygen sensing, with emerging implications for vascular biology and disease.
Why it Matters: By synthesizing current knowledge on how these ancient cofactors influence mitochondrial reactive oxygen species dynamics and redox signalling, the review highlights potential new therapeutic targets across vascular and metabolic disorders.