Research
Research Slow but Steady
Mitochondrial disease research is a small, but expanding field. Like most medical research, it is tedious, time-consuming, and expensive to conduct.
Unlike many diseases being researched, this family of diseases is currently considered rare, and that slows research progress due to the limited number of subjects to study.
As more doctors become aware of these diseases, they will become more proficient in accurately diagnosing them in a timely manner. Hopefully, this will help research progress more rapidly and allow previously mis-diagnosed people to better their quality of life through more appropriate courses of action.
Research Centers
Currently, there are only a handful of mitochondrial specialists worldwide, and even fewer centers actively researching into the area.
Currently there are two centers in the United States involved in drug research to help combat the effects of mitochondrial disorders.
One such center is located in Gainesville, Florida at Shands Hospital. They are focusing their efforts on reducing high lactic acid levels through an experimental drug, dichloroacetate (DCA).
Patients involved in the research participate in a two-year long double-blind study in which sometimes they are given the drug, and others in which they receive a placebo.
On the west coast, at the University of California San Diego similar research is being carried out, although patients there always receive the drug, never a placebo.
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