Bioenergetics

The Institute has expertise in bioenergy measurements and is equipped with an O2K-Oroboros, a high-precision instrument based on an integrated approach that combines high-resolution respirometry (HRR) with fluorimetry. This system is the only one that allows (through the TIP2k and the O2k-sV module) the real-time monitoring of the mitochondrial oxygen consumption (including the activity of the respiratory chain complexes, the respiratory rate and the maximum capacity of the electrons transport system) together with the evaluation of the integrity of the outer mitochondrial membrane through the simultaneous recording of further parameters of mitochondrial functionality.

O2K-Oroboros is able to perform measurements on cells, tissues and blood samples as well as on isolated mitochondria allowing to carry out studies on mitochondrial energy metabolism in any pathophysiological context and to evaluate the effects of a drug therapy or of the pathological course on mitochondrial dysfunctions.