Sean Murray, Mito Foundation CEO, attended the UMDF Mitochondrial Medicine 2025 conference in June. He shares his reflections here on how vital collaboration is to keep moving forward.
Attending this conference reminded me of the power of connection. One of my highlights was meeting Kristen Clifford, the new CEO of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF). Our partnership with UMDF goes back many years, and I left confident that under Kristen’s leadership our collaboration will only strengthen. Strategic relationships like this are essential if we are to accelerate progress for the mito community.
What struck me most this year was just how much has changed in the therapeutic landscape. A decade ago, there were very few treatment options in sight. Today, more than a dozen industry groups are actively working on potential therapies for mitochondrial disease. Together with UMDF and the Lily Foundation, we announced the outcomes of a major co-funded grant round — a tangible sign of the progress that can be made when organisations join forces.
I was particularly encouraged by the calibre and breadth of activity in clinical trial readiness work. This is a cornerstone of Mito Foundation’s 10-year Clinical Trial Action Plan. We’ve supported 2 new grants in this area as part of the major co-funding round:
- Jellyfish Bio is developing tools to better measure treatment outcomes in clinical trials using smartphones and wearable devices.
- Dr. Florence van Tienen is optimising cryopreservation of muscle stem cell medicinal product for direct clinical administration in patients with Mitochondrial mitochondrial Myopathy myopathypatients.
These projects may sound technical, but they are vital stepping stones towards treatments for mito. Without accurate tools and robust preparation, promising therapies can stall before they reach our community.
Conversations throughout the week reinforced the importance of maintaining strong global partnerships — with researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders. If we want Australia to play a leading role in mitochondrial disease research and trials, collaboration is non-negotiable.
I left the conference with a renewed sense of momentum. Each relationship built, each grant awarded, each tool developed is part of a bigger picture — one where people impacted by mito have real options for treatment. That vision drives everything we do at Mito Foundation, and I am proud to see it coming to life step by step.
