Temurkhan Ayupov

Mitochondrial transplantation has attracted interest because damaged cells can sometimes recover when supplied with healthy organelles. Its central weakness has been control: free mitochondria do not reliably reach the cells that need them. Temurkhan Ayupov was an equal first author on the 2026 paper introducing MitoCatch, a programmable targeting system designed to address that problem.

The team demonstrated delivery into human and mouse retinal, neuronal, cardiac, endothelial and immune cell types. In a mouse optic-nerve-injury model, targeted delivery of 2.5 micrograms of mitochondria increased retinal-ganglion-cell survival by 46.8% compared with buffer and preserved light-responsive cells. The work remained preclinical, but it joined molecular targeting with a functional neural outcome rather than stopping at uptake.

Ayupov's individual trajectory strengthens the case. His doctoral work sits at the centre of the platform, his equal-first position makes the experimental responsibility visible, and in June 2026 he became head of a group dedicated to mitochondrial biology and therapy. That appointment gives the contribution institutional continuity: the next questions — biodistribution, immunogenicity, manufacturing and durable function — now form a programme rather than an isolated paper.