Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to numerous currently untreatable conditions, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, optic nerve atrophy, and heart failure. While transplantation of healthy mitochondria has been explored as a potential therapy, conventional methods lack the specificity and efficiency needed to reach disease-affected cells.

MitoCatch overcomes these limitations by using engineered protein binders to link donor mitochondria to target cells. The system employs three complementary strategies: binders on the cell surface (MitoCatch-C), binders on mitochondria (MitoCatch-M), and bispecific binders bridging mitochondria and cell membranes (MitoCatch-Bi).