Researchers no longer think that proteins blindly swim through the cytoplasm hoping to bump into one another. Instead, they intentionally aggregate with other biomolecules, forming membrane free, transient organelles called condensates.
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that change their morphology in response to the energetic needs of the cell. But in some disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, mitochondria don't appropriately respond, and the resulting metabolic dysfunction contributes to symptom severity.
Researchers are using CRISPR gene editing to restore function of the mutant protein that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration.