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Lookup NU author(s): Ersong ShangORCiD, Omar Aftab, Professor Laura GreavesORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 The Author(s). Mitochondria, once viewed mainly as cellular powerhouses, are now recognised as key regulators of cancer metabolism, redox balance, and immune interactions. While early models emphasised a switch to aerobic glycolysis, many tumours exhibit metabolic plasticity and retain oxidative phosphorylation capacity. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are common across cancers, yet their roles in carcinogenesis and therapy response remain unclear. Emerging base-editing technologies now enable modelling of these mutations, allowing the exploration of their impact on tumourigenesis, which may differ depending on mutation type, heteroplasmy, and tissue origin. mtDNA alterations also shape immune responses within the tumour microenvironment and therefore may influence treatment sensitivity. This review integrates recent advances on mtDNA’s role in cancer biology and explores therapeutic opportunities for targeting mitochondrial metabolism.
Author(s): Shang E, Aftab O, Dayanamby A, Greaves LC
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Trends in Molecular Medicine
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 25/03/2026
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
ISSN (print): 1471-4914
ISSN (electronic): 1471-499X
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2026.02.003
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2026.02.003
PubMed id: 41881706
