Mike Murphy

nature.comMacrophage-derived itaconate is a negative regulator of adipose tissue thermogenesis - Nature MetabolismTang et al. reveal that macrophage-derived itaconate acts as a paracrine inhibitor of adipose tissue thermogenesis by blocking succinate uptake into brown adipose tissue.

14 July

Congrats to Evanna Mills on the first paper from her lab! Many more to come... www.nature.com/articles/s42...

cam.ac.ukResearch Associate x 2 (Fixed Term)The Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit (MRC MBU), University of Cambridge, wishes to appoint two post-doctoral Research Associates to join the research group of Prof. Mike Murphy at t...

10 July

I have two post doctoral positions available in my lab funded by the Wellcome Trust to develop new chemical biology approaches to studying mitochondria. Would suit those with interest in both mitochondria and chemical biology. Advert below-please forward and repost! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

26 June

Very pleased to have presented the Keith Reimer Distinguished Lecture at the ISHR meeting in Birmingham this week. Recognition of the work we have done with Thomas Krieg over the past 15 years

doi.orgMitochondrial succinate transport is required for cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion injuryAbstractAims. Succinate accumulates significantly during myocardial ischaemia, and its rapid oxidation upon reperfusion is a critical driver of ischaemia/r

1 May

Congrats to Laura Pala and Hiran Prag on their new paper in Cardiovascular Research. doi.org/10.1093/cvr/...

26 Feb

Congrats to Patrick Cardwell on his paper that covers his PhD work - another great collaboration with the Richard Hartley lab. doi.org/10.1016/j.ej...

doi.orgRedirecting

doi.orgTargeting immunometabolic pathways with AZD1656 alleviates inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy - Nature Cardiovascular ResearchAnderson et al. demonstrate that the glucokinase activator AZD1656 reduces inflammation and reverses cardiac dysfunction and metabolic remodeling in mice with diabetic cardiomyopathy.

23 Feb

Congrats to Dunja on her latest paper just out in Nature Cardiovascular Research! doi.org/10.1038/s441...

keystonesymposia.orgMitochondria Signaling in Physiology and Disease | Keystone SymposiaJoin us at the Keystone Symposia on Mitochondria Signaling in Physiology and Disease, February 2026, in Keystone, with field leaders!

10 Feb

At Keystone enjoying some mitochondrial science and catching up with friends www.keystonesymposia.org/conferences/...

30 Jan

Funding? I'm a simple academic, so I'll have to await someone smart to explain to me how "pausing" MRC and BBSRC funding is the action of a biomedical science superpower...?

6 Jan

Congrats to Jan whose new paper on persulfide measurement is is out now in Nature Comms

16 Dec 2025

Christmas in the lab....

doi.orgRapid mitochondrial repolarization upon reperfusion after cardiac ischemia - Nature Cardiovascular ResearchGiles et al. developed a method for noninvasive absorbance measurement of mitochondrial hemes to monitor the mitochondrial membrane potential in the perfused heart. They then applied this approach to ...

15 Dec 2025

Huge congratulations to Abigail Giles whose paper has just come out in Nature Cardiovascular Research - from a great collaboration with Bob Balaban, along with Thomas Krieg and Tish Murphy. doi.org/10.1038/s441...

doi.orgDefective vascular smooth muscle cell tafazzin impairs mitochondrial function and promotes atherosclerosis in preclinical models - Nature CommunicationsAtherosclerosis is the leading cause of death worldwide. Here, the authors show that defective vascular smooth muscle cell tafazzin promotes mitochondrial dysfunction and atherosclerosis, highlighting...

5 Dec 2025

Congrats to Emma Yu on her new paper on Tafazzin! doi.org/10.1038/s414...

cell.comInnate immune and metabolic signals induce mitochondria-dependent membrane lysis via mitoxyperiosisWang et al. identify a new lytic cell death pathway, mitoxyperilysis, triggered by the synergy of innate immune activation and metabolic stress. This process is regulated by mTORC2 and involves persis...

4 Dec 2025

Pleased to be a small part of a recent paper led by Thiru Kanneganti at St Judes www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

@joycevaladares.bsky.social

17 Nov 2025

Congrats to Kath Hammond who was awarded a short talk prize at the recent WT "Mitochondrial medicine: therapeutic development" meeting at Hinxton.

Mike Murphy reposted

Joyce Valadares

20 Oct 2025

Excited to share that at the annual MRC MBU symposium I was awarded best poster prize for my PhD project on Succinate Metabolism in Cardiac Ischemia/ Reperfusion Injury! Thanks to my lab, collaborators, and my PI Mike Murphy. @mitoredox.bsky.social

findaphd.comUnderstanding and slowing transverse tubule loss in heart failure at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - Understanding and slowing transverse tubule loss in heart failure at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com

18 Oct 2025

Drs Cherrie Kong and Stephen Harmer (University of Bristol) are offering a fully funded PhD project, " For information and to apply: www.findaphd.com/phds/project.... For information including application preparation: cherrie.kong@bristol.ac.uk Application deadline: 15 December 2025

nils-burger-lab.comBurger Lab @ UTSWThe Burger Lab Defining the metabolite protein regulome

13 Oct 2025

Congrats to Nils Burger who is just starting his lab at UTSW in Texas! Any prospective PhD students or post-docs should get in touch with Nils. www.nils-burger-lab.com

29 Sept 2025

In Toronto today giving a seminar at the Sick Kids Research Institute on "Mitochondria in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: From Basic Science to Potential Therapies" Great to catch up with previous lab member now in Toronto - Thomas Hurd, Ellen Robb and Anna Dare.

academic.oup.comLocal arterial administration of acidified malonate as an adjunct therapy to mechanical thrombectomy in ischemic strokeAbstractAims. Ischemic stroke is increasingly treated by mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with the more rapid and complete reperfusion of the ischemic tissue,

14 Aug 2025

Great to see this paper out - another Krieg/Murphy collaboration - and congratulations to Jordan Lee who did most of the work! academic.oup.com/cardiovascre...

personalpages.manchester.ac.ukPrag Lab - Coming Soon

13 Aug 2025

Great to see Hiran Prag setting up his lab at the University of Manchester - I'm expecting great things! personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/hiran....

nejm.orgMitochondrial Donation and Preimplantation Genetic Testing for mtDNA Disease | NEJMChildren born to women who carry pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are at risk for a range of clinical syndromes collectively known as mtDNA disease. Mitochondrial donation by pronuc...

17 July 2025

It was wonderful to see the NEJM paper today about healthy babies born free of mtDNA disease following mitochondrial donation. Built on decades of work led by Doug Turnbull and his team in Newcastle. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

17 July 2025

It was a great pleasure to attend last week Professor Dunja Aksentijevic's inaugural Professorial Lecture at Queen Mary, University of London. Dunja, it's just the start!

doi.orgEnhancing autophagy by redox regulation extends lifespan in Drosophila - Nature CommunicationsRedox signalling is emerging as an important regulator of metabolism and physiology, which is dysregulated in ageing and disease. Here, the authors show that redox regulation of a key redox sensitive ...

27 June 2025

Congrats to Helena Cocheme @cochemelab.bsky.social on her paper on redox regulation of autophagy in Drosophila. doi.org/10.1038/s414...

26 June 2025

Good day yesterday at the William Harvey Research Institute Research Day where I was honoured to receive the Derek Willoughby Medal and give a lecture. Great hospitality from Dunja Aksentijevic and Sir Mark Caulfield.

doi.orgMitochondrial metabolism sustains DNMT3A-R882-mutant clonal haematopoiesis - NatureMetformin may serve as a non-toxic intervention to inhibit mitochondrial metabolism and slow DNMT3A-R882 clonal haematopoiesis expansion, thus delaying or averting progression to acute myeloid le...

14 June 2025

Series of interesting papers showing that haematopoietic stem cells can undergo damaging clonal haematopoiesis when they acquire mutations that enhance mitochondrial respiration - opening the way to using metformin - and my beloved MitoQ - to prevent this transition. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.orgMetformin reduces the competitive advantage of Dnmt3aR878H HSPCs - NatureDnmt3a mutations in mouse haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells equivalent to R882 mutations in human cause increased mitochondrial respiration, suggesting that this is a mechanism of clonal h...

14 June 2025

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.orgElevated mitochondrial membrane potential is a therapeutic vulnerability in Dnmt3a-mutant clonal hematopoiesis - Nature CommunicationsClonal hematopoiesis is driven by the selective advantage of mutant hematopoietic stem cells. Here, authors discover that elevated mitochondrial activity is a targetable mechanism by which mutant hema...

14 June 2025

doi.org/10.1038/s414...

9 June 2025

Congrats to Dunja Aksienijevic on her latest paper!

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sfrrgalway2025.com22nd SFRRI Biennial Meeting I Galway I June 3-6, 2025Information, Program, Registration, Abstract Submission for the 22nd SFRRI Biennial Meeting

4 June 2025

By the Atlantic in Galway at the SFRRI meeting - catching up with old friends and new. www.sfrrgalway2025.com

nature.comCoQ imbalance drives reverse electron transport to disrupt liver metabolism - NatureReverse electron transport is the mechanism behind excess mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the livers of obese mice, which has implications for developing therapeutics for fatty liver dis...

29 May 2025

Congrats to Renata Goncalves who led a study in Gokhan Hotamisligil's lab that has just come out in Nature - ably assisted by Jillian Riveros! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

29 May 2025

Shows convincingly that that obesity increases mitochondrial ROS by RET in the liver in vivo to drive insulin resistance. This is proposed to be due to defects in CoQ biosynthesis - some fascinating findings here that will take time to explore by the community.

24 May 2025

Congratulations to Abigail Giles who was awarded the "The Richard J. Bing Award for Young Investigators" at the recent World Congress of the International Society For Heart Research in Japan. Well done Abigail!

22 May 2025

Congratulations to @clarebryant.bsky.social on her election to the Academy of Medical Sciences!

journals.physiology.orgLoss of RET-ROS at complex I induces diastolic dysfunction in mice that is reversed by aerobic exercise | American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology | American Physiological Socie...Central to the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is the redox disruption of metabolic processes, however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This s...

22 May 2025

Congrats to Ana Vujic on her latest paper! journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1...

doi.orgCREBBP inactivation sensitizes B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia to ferroptotic cell death upon BCL2 inhibition - Nature CommunicationsCREBBP mutations in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) are linked to poor prognosis and chemoresistance. Here, the authors show that genetic or pharmacological inactivation of CREBBP sensitiz...

20 May 2025

Delighted to be a small part of this paper led by Alicia, Brian and Simon. doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Mike Murphy reposted

Simon Richardson

@simonrichardson.bsky.social

20 May 2025

Delighted that our work describing a potential novel treatment approach for B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia is published today in @natcomms.nature.com‬. 🧵 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comCREBBP inactivation sensitizes B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia to ferroptotic cell death upon BCL2 inhibition - Nature CommunicationsCREBBP mutations in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) are linked to poor prognosis and chemoresistance. Here, the authors show that genetic or pharmacological inactivation of CREBBP sensitiz...

ae-info.orgAcademy of Europe: Murphy Michael

18 May 2025

Pleased to have been elected a Member of Academia Europaea. Thanks to Mike Davies of Copenhagen for nominating me. www.ae-info.org/ae/Member/Mu...

29 Apr 2025

IMS-MRL External Seminar (Cambridge) Tuesday 6 May 2025 at 13.15 Professor Mike Murphy, Understanding how mitochondria contribute to ischaemia-reperfusion injury HOST: Professor Steve O’Rahilly Hybrid Seminar in the IMS-MRL Seminar Rooms (for IMS staff), Online for others

uco.esDepartamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular - Universidad de Córdoba

25 Apr 2025

At the University of Cordoba today giving a seminar in the department of Prof Raquel Requejo. She used to be post-doc in my lab in Cambridge and is now running her own lab. www.uco.es/dptos/bioqui...

24 Apr 2025

Visiting IBIS in beautiful Sevilla www.ibis-sevilla.es/en/ Hosted by José López-Barneo - giving a seminar there today.

ibis-sevilla.esIBiS

doi.orgSleep pressure accumulates in a voltage-gated lipid peroxidation memory - NatureSleep-inducing neurons in Drosophila rely on Hyperkinetic, the β-subunit of the KV1 channel Shaker, to monitor sleep need by translating lipid peroxidation events into changes in the oxidation state o...

9 Apr 2025

Important new paper in Nature from Gero Miesenböck's lab showing that the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products from mitochondrial ROS production leads in sleep. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

pretzeltx.comPretzel Therapeutics Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Study Evaluating PX578, Lead Therapeutic in its Bioenergetics Restoration Franchise » Pretzel TherapeuticsFirst-in-class approach to targeting mitochondrial DNA polymerase (POLG) with disease modifying potential across mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes

4 Apr 2025

Congrats to Michal Minczuk @mitogene.bsky.social and all at Pretzel Therapeutics on initiation of their first Phase I trial! www.pretzeltx.com/pretzel-ther...

doi.orgFEBS PressO2 sensing by carotid body chemoreceptor cells depends on mitochondrial complex I (MCI) function. In mice with a mutated ND6 subunit, which retains normal forward MCI activity but cannot catalyze rev...

22 Feb 2025

Well done to María Torres-López and José López-Barneo on this paper in FEBS Letts - seems that RET at complex I is not involved in carotid body oxygen sensing... doi.org/10.1002/1873...

doi.orgTRAM-LAG1-CLN8 family proteins are acyltransferases regulating phospholipid compositionTRAM–LAG1–CLN8 family proteins function as enzymes that remodel cellular phospholipids and expand the membrane lipid diversity.

21 Feb 2025

Congrats to Kasparas Petkevicius on his paper just out in Science Advances - Andrew James in my lab played a key role - important implications for Battens Disease doi.org/10.1126/scia...

doi.orgPro-inflammatory macrophages produce mitochondria-derived superoxide by reverse electron transport at complex I that regulates IL-1β release during NLRP3 inflammasome activation - Nature MetabolismCasey et al. explore the basic mechanisms of mitochondrial superoxide production and its impact on interleukin-1β production in LPS-treated macrophages.

19 Feb 2025

Great to see paper from Alva Casey out today in Nature Metabolism - from her PhD. Well done Alva! doi.org/10.1038/s422...

cell.comErgothioneine improves healthspan of aged animals by enhancing cGPDH activity through CSE-dependent persulfidationPetrovic et al. demonstrate that ergothioneine acts as an alternative substrate for cystathionine gamma-lyase, an H2S-producing enzyme, leading to an increase of protein persulfidation. The persulfida...

9 Feb 2025

Glad to be a small part on this interesting paper from Milos Filipovic with actual work done by Jan Miljkovic and Alva Casey in my lab. Ergothioneine improves healthspan of aged animals by enhancing cGPDH activity through CSE-dependent persulfidation: Cell Metabolism www.cell.com/cell-metabol...

Regarding paper in Cell from Jessica Spinelli on rhodoquinone (RQ) in mammalian mitochondria. The implication is that the lower reduction potential will allow SDH to run to fumarate more easily under hypoxic conditions. The introduction of RQ in vivo was elegant and gave pharmacological effects.

I suspect some of these may be due to the enhanced antioxidant effects of RQ cf. UQ. With the findings of RQ in tissues I’m intrigued as the levels reported are very high. Moreover, the quantification was done by LC/MS not LC-MS/MS vs an internal standard. In my view this needs to be revisited.

It will also be interesting to see the enzymology of the short chain RQ analogue with UQ enzymes. The source of the putative in vivo RQ (diet? microbiome? endogenous?) will also be good to explore.