U.S.-based United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) and Australia-based Mito Foundation are proud to announce eight research grants totaling $500,000 USD have been awarded as part of the 2026 Research Grant Program.

This year’s projects represent a rare and powerful cross-section of the mitochondrial disease community: from gene therapy targeting Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and Leukoencephalopathy with Brainstem and Spinal Cord Involvement and Lactate Elevation (LBSL), to precision approaches for the m.3243A>G variant and Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1) related disease, to novel strategies for Leigh syndrome, mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes, and Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy efficacy. The work spans continents and career stages – Principal Investigator, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Graduate Student grants – ensuring that the next generation of mito researchers is supported alongside established leaders in the field.

Nearly 100 grant applications were received for 2026, continuing a significant upward trend in demand for mitochondrial disease research funding the past two years. Each application was reviewed by a panel of experts including UMDF and Mito Foundation staff members and scientific and medical advisors.

This is the second year for the Research Grant Program partnership. Last year, more than $500,000 USD was awarded, bringing the cumulative two-year investment to over $1 million USD.

“Mito Foundation has been an extraordinary partner, and what we’ve built together these last two years is a model for how the global mito community can move faster and farther than any of us can alone,” said UMDF President and CEO Kristen Clifford. “This partnership is a direct expression of our strategic vision to expand UMDF’s role as a convener and collaborator in the mitochondrial disease community. When we work together, the science moves faster, families wait less, and the finish line – effective treatments for all mito patients – gets closer.”

Said CEO of Mito Foundation Sean Murray: “This year’s recipients reflect the ambition and growing maturity of mitochondrial disease research. We are investing in several projects that are improving readiness for clinical trials. This work is critical. It builds the evidence and capability needed to move promising discoveries out of the lab and closer to real treatments for people living with mito. The funded grants also reflect the momentum in precision medicine for mito. Researchers are targeting the specific genetic cause of a person’s disease. This is a critical shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach and we have seen early success in other rare diseases of this personalized approach.”

2026 Principal Investigator Grants ($100k Awards)
Dr Jiang-Hui (Sloan) Wang, PhD, Centre for Eye Research Australia
Next-Generation Mitochondrial ND4 Gene Therapy for LHON: Improving Delivery and Mitochondrial Targeting

Mary Herbert, PhD, Monash University
Development of regulatable mitoTALENs to increase the efficacy of mitochondrial replacement therapy

Javier Triñanes-Ramos, PhD, Amsterdam Leukodystrophy Center, Emma Center for Personalized Medicine, Pediatric Neurology, Emma Children Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Center
Gene therapy in humanized Dars2 mouse model that recapitulates LBSL neuropathology

2026 Postdoctoral Fellow Grants ($50k USD Awards)
Chiara Guarona, PhD, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta
Early Pharmacological Interention in SURF-Related Leigh Syndrome Using Sildenafil

Alvaro J. Narbona-Perez, PhD, University of Utah
Function and regulation of the mitochondrial disease-causing metabolite transporter SLC25A19

Melis Kose, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
OPERA (OPA1-Related Energetics Rescue): Translational Validation of 20 Therapeutic Candidates in OPA1 Patient-Derived Retinal Ganglion Cells

2026 Graduate Student Grants ($25k USD Awards)
Nissa Carrodus, BSc, The University of Queensland
mRNA-induced protein replacement therapy for mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes

Lily Farmerie, BS, University of Pittsburgh
A precision medicine approach targeting cardiovascular manifestations of m.3243A>G borne primary mitochondrial disease