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Today, we light up green. 💚

Around the world, landmarks, buildings, homes, and communities are lighting up for Mitochondrial Disease awareness, and for the people and families impacted by these devastating diseases.

Progress takes all of us. We’re grateful to stand alongside the many organizations dedicated to Mitochondrial Disease, amplifying the voices of patients and families, advancing research, and driving urgently needed progress toward treatments and cures.

At Countdown, that work is part of a larger mission to accelerate mitochondrial science and medicine. What we learn from mitochondrial disease can deepen our understanding of mitochondrial health more broadly, and its central role in how we function, age, heal, and thrive.

This World Mitochondrial Disease Week, and today specifically, join us. Wear green. Light up green. Share green.

This month, Countdown Founder & President Mitzi Solomon and CEO Julie Teer traveled to the University of Florida to meet with Dr. Madhurima Saha, Dr. Barry J. Byrne, Dr. Manuela Corti and their team, whose work Countdown is funding to advance gene therapy for MEPAN syndrome.

MEPAN is an ultra-rare, progressive mitochondrial disease caused by a genetic mutation that disrupts how mitochondria process essential fats, ultimately affecting the brain and nervous system. There are currently no approved treatments that can stop or reverse the disease.

The team has completed the first phase of the research, and what they are learning could extend far beyond MEPAN. Their findings suggest that some of the mitochondrial lipid pathways involved in MEPAN may also play a role in more common neurological diseases. This creates an opportunity for research into this rare disease to improve our understanding of conditions affecting millions of people.

The visit included time in the lab and discussions about the phase II of the project, leveraging the platform being developed to create gene therapies targeting other mitochondrial diseases, including Barth syndrome and Friedreich ataxia. It was an important opportunity to connect directly with the research team, see the science firsthand, and discuss how Countdown can help accelerate the project’s next stage.

As we put during World Mitochondrial Disease Week, this work demonstrates why Primary Mitochondrial Disease research matters: advancing desperately needed treatments for these patients while unlocking insights that can reshape our understanding of human health.

This month, Countdown Founder & President Mitzi Solomon and CEO Julie Teer traveled to the University of Florida to meet with Dr. Madhurima Saha, Dr. Barry J. Byrne, Dr. Manuela Corti and their team, whose work Countdown is funding to advance gene therapy for MEPAN syndrome.

MEPAN is an ultra-rare, progressive mitochondrial disease caused by a genetic mutation that disrupts how mitochondria process essential fats, ultimately affecting the brain and nervous system. There are currently no approved treatments that can stop or reverse the disease.

The team has completed the first phase of the research, and what they are learning could extend far beyond MEPAN. Their findings suggest that some of the mitochondrial lipid pathways involved in MEPAN may also play a role in more common neurological diseases. This creates an opportunity for research into this rare disease to improve our understanding of conditions affecting millions of people.

The visit included time in the lab and discussions about the phase II of the project, leveraging the platform being developed to create gene therapies targeting other mitochondrial diseases, including Barth syndrome and Friedreich ataxia.

It was an important opportunity to connect directly with the research team, see the science firsthand, and discuss how Countdown can help accelerate the project’s next stage.

As we put during World Mitochondrial Disease Week, this work demonstrates why Primary Mitochondrial Disease research matters: advancing desperately needed treatments for these patients while unlocking insights that can reshape our understanding of human health.

This week is World Mitochondrial Disease Week.

Mitochondrial disease is not one condition, but a group of rare genetic disorders that impair the ability of mitochondria to produce energy and perform their essential functions. These diseases can affect any organ at any age, are often difficult to diagnose, may progress over time, and currently have no cure.

While primary mitochondrial diseases are rare, the biology they reveal reaches far beyond rare disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is central to the biology of aging and many common diseases. Because primary mitochondrial diseases are caused by defined genetic changes, they provide a powerful foundation for understanding what happens when cellular energy fails, and for developing ways to protect and restore it.

This is why Primary Mitochondrial & Rare Genetic Disease is one of Countdown’s six research pillars. We fund bold research advancing therapies for devastating diseases while generating discoveries that are reshaping how we understand and treat disease across the lifespan.

This week, we honor the people and families living with mitochondrial disease and reaffirm the urgent need to advance treatments, pursue cures, and deepen our understanding of mitochondria’s central role in human health.

Energy is everything. Understanding what happens when it fails is changing medicine.

Join us. Visit the link in our bio to explore our research pillars and the science we have funded.

This week is World Mitochondrial Disease Week.

Mitochondrial disease is not one condition, but a group of rare genetic disorders that impair the ability of mitochondria to produce energy and perform their essential functions. These diseases can affect any organ at any age, are often difficult to diagnose, may progress over time, and currently have no cure.

While primary mitochondrial diseases are rare, the biology they reveal reaches far beyond rare disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is central to the biology of aging and many common diseases. Because primary mitochondrial diseases are caused by defined genetic changes, they provide a powerful foundation for understanding what happens when cellular energy fails, and for developing ways to protect and restore it.

This is why Primary Mitochondrial & Rare Genetic Disease is one of Countdown’s six research pillars. We fund bold research advancing therapies for devastating diseases while generating discoveries that are reshaping how we understand and treat disease across the lifespan.

This week, we honor the people and families living with mitochondrial disease—and reaffirm the urgent need to advance treatments, pursue cures, and deepen our understanding of mitochondria’s central role in human health.

Energy is everything. Understanding what happens when it fails is changing medicine.

Join us. Visit the link in our bio to explore our research pillars and the science we have funded.

Every child deserves moments of joy, connection, and the freedom to simply be a kid—especially during a hospital stay. 💛

Last Saturday, the Countdown team was back at The Zone at Children's Healthcare of ATL Arthur M. Blank Hospital for a special afternoon with patients and families.

We were joined by The Music Class® — Early Childhood Music Education, a beloved Atlanta-born early childhood music program that has been bringing the joy of music to families for nearly three decades. The afternoon was filled with favorite songs and Music Class originals, instruments for the kids to play along, lots of smiles and even a panda made an appearance! 🐼🎶

The Zone is a place where patients can step away from the realities of a hospital stay and simply be kids — playing, laughing, connecting and having fun. Countdown is proud to host events here throughout the year as part of how we stay connected to the children and families at the heart of our mission.

Thank you to our incredible volunteers, Rob Sayer, Founder and CEO of The Music Class, the entire Music Class team, and the team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for helping us create an afternoon filled with music, energy and joy. 💛

This month, we’re shining a (green) spotlight on mitochondrial disease in recognition of Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Month and World Mito Disease Week, taking place September 14–20th.

Mitochondrial disease is estimated to affect about 1 in 4,000 people, but it can look very different from one person to the next. It can appear at birth or later in life, affect virtually any organ or system, and often progress over time. It can also be largely invisible and incredibly difficult to diagnose. And today, there is no cure.

Throughout the month, we invite you to learn more about mitochondrial disease, how it is both distinct from and connected to mitochondrial dysfunction, and why advancing mitochondrial science and medicine matters not only to those living with mitochondrial disease, but to the future of human health.

From finding better ways to diagnose and treat these diseases to unlocking discoveries that could impact so much more, there is still so much work to do.

If Part 1 changed the way you think about mitochondria, there’s even more to know.

Mitochondria can move between cells, they help determine when damaged cells should die, and they respond and adapt to signals from their environment.

The deeper we look, the clearer the bigger picture becomes: mitochondrial biology is connected across human health.

Beyond primary mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial dysfunction is being studied across cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, neurodegeneration, muscle loss, aging, and more. Yet mitochondrial science remains overlooked and underfunded.

That’s why Countdown is accelerating mitochondrial science and medicine and bringing cellular energy to the center of human health. And we invite you to join us.

Save, share, and tell us: which of the 12 facts surprised you most? 👇🏼