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news · 1 Aug 2026
In diabetic retinopathy, a calcium channel called TRPM7 drives VDAC1 up and forces open the mitochondrial pore in retinal cells
A Southwest Medical University team traced hyperglycemia-driven damage in retinal Muller cells to a calcium channel, TRPM7, that pushes VDAC1 expression up and forces open the mitochondrial permeability pore, and silencing TRPM7 protected the cells.
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news · 22 Jul 2026
In septic T cells, VDAC1 oligomers open a pore that leaks mtDNA and drives inflammation, and VBIT-12 shuts it down
A Shanghai team watched VDAC1 clump up, leak mtDNA, and trip the cGAS–STING alarm in immune cells, and calmed the whole thing down with the oligomerization blocker VBIT-12.
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news · 10 Jul 2026
A mitochondria-targeting nanozyme restarts mitophagy in cartilage and switches off mtDNA-driven inflammation in osteoarthritis
Bioengineers at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital built a mitochondria-targeting nanozyme that mops up damage in cartilage cells, restarts mitophagy, and shuts down the mtDNA→cGAS/STING inflammation loop in osteoarthritis.
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drug-watch · 8 Jul 2026
VBIT-4 & VBIT-12: the molecules trying to stop VDAC1 from ganging up
A running summary of the VBIT compounds that block VDAC1 oligomerization, where the idea came from, which disease models they've been tested in, and the honest caveats about how early it all still is.
