Mitochondria: Bioenergetics and Predictive Therapeutics Using Vibrational Spectroscopy

Abstract

Biomedical research comprises one of the most important and well-funded areas in all of scientific research. Technological innovation is a relatively small component of all research overall, but the applications are of immense benefit. Incorporation of already existing technologies from other areas of research directly into a biomedical setting is a simple way to leverage human innovation into the highest applicability. Vibrational spectroscopy is one such technology which, while steadily seeing more and more use in biomedical imaging, is still underutilized. Such advanced microspectroscopic techniques can leverage their ability to analyze global information in a cellular system to higher throughput and increased efficiencies. Metabolism is a key global system for every cell type and organism. Energy production, metabolic pathway augmentation, metabolite analysis, and appraisal of overall metabolic poise are several ways in which characterization of metabolism can be used analytically. Each of these can provide valuable insights into cellular systems and associated conditions, namely illness and disease. Using Raman spectroscopy to characterize metabolism has led to several interesting results. First, analysis of drug candidacy has shown a novel mode for drug testing. Effectively evaluating cellular health based on several different techniques shows level compatibility across the techniques employed. Localized spectroscopic analysis provides further evidence for mitochondrial protection conferral. In a similar vein of research, targeted analysis of desiccation tolerant proteins, localized to mitochondria, likewise showed a protective mechanism. Finally, an analysis of substrate change directly on metabolism was carefully evaluated, with an outcome of visualizing effects of varying metabolic pathways upon overall global cellular metabolism. These studies provide a strong platform for spectrometabolic evaluation to be considered for a variety of advanced characterization techniques. Coupling this method with other emerging technologies has the potential to shift the standards for metabolic evaluation.