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Health

Correct address may fix faulty genes

By Bob Holmes

15 August 2007

YOU stick an address on a letter to tell it where to go – so why not do the same for proteins? A clever bit of “molecular addressing” might correct mitochondrial diseases, and perhaps even delay ageing.

Mitochondria are often referred to as the power plants of the cell because they perform most of the chemical reactions that transform sugars into usable energy. However, mutations in the genes that control this process are common. Mitochondrial diseases affect at least 1 in 5000 people and can lead to a variety of serious, incurable , including disorders of the nervous system…

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