Abstract
Mitochondria are membrane bound organelles that play essential roles for cell life, including energy production, apoptosis, redox balance, and regulation of calcium. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark for various diseases ranging from well-known diseases like cancer to rare genetic disorders like Barth’s syndrome. Accordingly, mitochondria have been identified as key targets for therapeutic intervention. Mitochondria targeting strategies using nanocargos are rapidly growing tools for delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic payloads to mitochondria. In this chapter, we will highlight specific mitochondrial targets for nanotechnology-based delivery vehicles, NanoCargos, and discuss intracellular uptake mechanisms for NanoCargos, as well as technological methods for investigating mechanism for NanoCargo internalization into mitochondria.
