What happens to the mitochondria in ME/CFS, Karl Johan Tronstad? (Interview 2025)

Prof Karl Johan Tronstad is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the department of biomedicine at Bergen University in Norway where he heads the cell metabolism research group. The Tronstad lab studies how changes in cell metabolism and mitochondrial function may disturb energy homeostasis and cause disease. The lab combines multimodal approaches to investigate energy metabolism in experimental models and clinical samples. Their hypothesis is that changes in cell physiology may be controlled by specific metabolic pathways, and consequently, that pathological shifts may be prevented or modulated by metabolic interventions.

In the video, he answers the following questions:

1. Your studies have found biochemical changes in the blood of ME/CFS patients. Roughly speaking, what kind of changes are these?

2. Do you have an example for certain changes?

3. What is wrong with the powerhouse or power factory of the cell and how does it affect the body?

4. What are the future goals of your research to identify the precise defects in energy metabolism and find targets of the therapeutic interventions?