ARIA is launching a programme backed by at least £55 million to make the mitochondrial genome programmable in vivo. For decades, mitochondria have remained the last major genome that cannot be readily engineered. This programme aims to create a foundational toolkit to overcome this long-standing challenge and transform mitochondrial biology.
The immediate goal is to achieve persistent, reproducible expression of a novel gene from engineered mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in a vertebrate system.
The programme will fund the creation of a versatile toolkit to empower researchers with new capabilities. This toolkit will enable the delivery of nucleic acids into the mitochondrial matrix, the expression of functional proteins from the introduced genetic code, and the maintenance of engineered genomes through cellular replication. Additionally, it will allow for the transfer of either the engineered mitochondria or the engineering toolkit itself into various cells and tissues.
Success in this programme would provide a catalysing set of tools for future mitochondrial engineering efforts, promising a significant impact. It would transform research by enabling definitive experiments that move the field from documenting correlation to establishing causation. This advancement would also create new therapies, opening a new domain of intervention for conditions that current medicines and gene therapies cannot reach, from rare monogenic disorders to the chronic diseases of ageing. Ultimately, this would foster a new UK-led industry in organelle engineering with broad applications in health, bioenergy, and agriculture.
ARIA invite applications from interdisciplinary teams that bridge fields such as mitochondrial biology, synthetic biology, virology, and nanotechnology.
The first stage of the application process is the submission of a concept paper (3-page maximum), which allows applicants to receive feedback from the programme team: this should be submitted by 27 October. Full proposal submission deadline is 15 January 2026.
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ARIA welcome proposals from scientists and engineers at universities, research institutes, startups, and established companies, as well as from individuals. Applicants can be based in the UK or abroad.
ARIA encourage collaborative teams, but solo applicants are also invited to apply and ARIA have provided a teaming tool, allowing applicants to find complementary expertise that address multiple TAs. After a quick registration, you can browse other researchers and request an introduction from the ARIA team to explore potential collaborations.
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We are funding ambitious projects across five interconnected Technical Areas (TAs).
TA1: Deliver – Focused on the delivery of nucleic acid payloads across the mitochondrial double membrane into the matrix.
TA2: Express – Focused on mitochondrial genome engineering and the expression of functional proteins or RNAs.
TA3: Maintain – Focused on ensuring the persistence, replication, and functionality of engineered mtDNA.
TA4: Transfer – Focused on achieving in vivo mitochondrial engineering via transplantation or direct toolkit delivery.
TA5: Standardisation, Translation, and Reproducibility – Focused on providing replication, standardisation, and translation capacity across the programme.
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There is no minimum length for a proposed
project. The maximum length is 60 months.We expect this programme to initially allocate £55m across all TAs. We aim to fund a diverse portfolio of projects covering a wide range of approaches and collaborations across the ecosystem We anticipate that the final programme will consist of:
TAs 1-4:
- 3-5 large, multi-disciplinary projects that have the capacity to go from TA1 through to a successful in vivo demonstration. We expect Creators undertaking these projects to integrate within their team deep mitochondrial biology expertise with novel tools from adjacent fields (such as synthetic biology, virology, or nanotechnology).
- Up to 5 smaller, technology-focused projects. These projects are expected to be more targeted, perhaps pursuing an approach to one of the TAs or to a specific technical or platform challenge within a narrower set of TAs.
TA5:
A single ST&R project to serve as a central programme resource for translation, standardisation, and reproducibility. We may decide to fund TA5 via a Creator working on all TAs or we may fund a standalone Creator to work on TA5 only.
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ARIA will hold a Zoom webinar on Thursday 9 October at 4pm: click here to register for a place. The webinar will include a dedicated Q&A session with the Programme Team for the Precision Mitochondria programme and a member of the ARIA procurement team.
If you have questions related to Precision Mitochondria, please reach out to clarifications@aria.org.uk.