N2OFF: MitoCareX Bio Spotlights Co-Founder's Pioneering Research on Mitochondrial Carriers in Spaceflight Stress Conditions
Neve Yarak, Israel, Jan. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- N2OFF, Inc. (NASDAQ: NITO) (“N2OFF” and the “Company”), a drug discovery company that is also investing in solar energy assets based on the business model, today highlighted a newly published peer-reviewed study co-authored by Prof. Ciro Leonardo Pierri, co-founder of MitoCareX Bio Ltd. (“MitoCareX Bio”), N2OFF’s wholly-owned subsidiary. The article, appearing in the Journal of Translational Medicine, investigates SLC25A mitochondrial carriers as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for dysfunctions induced by spaceflight conditions, including microgravity and cosmic radiation.
The study, titled “SLC25A mitochondrial carriers as biomarkers and therapeutic targets of spaceflight-induced dysfunction: the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC3) as a structural case study,” was published online on December 30, 2025 (DOI: 10.1186/s12967-025-07505-z). The work integrates transcriptomic data from NASA's Open Science Data Repository (OSDR), examining the expression of 53 SLC25A genes in osteocytes, human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs), and mouse brain tissue exposed to microgravity and spaceflight-related stressors.
The analysis identified differential regulation of multiple SLC25A carriers under spaceflight conditions, supporting their potential utility as biomarkers of mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction.
The ADP/ATP carrier AAC3 was further examined as a structural case study, based on comparative modeling and structure–function analyses to illustrate how carrier conformational features may be targeted to rescue mitochondrial bioenergetics under stress.
While this independent academic research—conducted in collaboration with the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and the University of Pittsburgh—was not performed under MitoCareX Bio's auspices, it directly aligns with the Company's core scientific focus on mitochondrial carrier biology. MitoCareX Bio applies proprietary computational approaches, including the MITOLINE™ algorithm, to model and virtually screen small-molecule modulators targeting the SLC25A family of mitochondrial carriers. These proteins, central to cellular energy metabolism, play critical roles in tumor metabolic adaptation and therapy resistance in hard-to-treat cancers, such as pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancer, and are also implicated in rare inherited disorders associated with neuromuscular degeneration, which share mechanistic similarities with physiologicl alterations observed in astronauts.
Prof. Ciro Leonardo Pierri's expertise in structural biology, mitochondrial carrier modeling, and drug targeting—demonstrated through his contributions to this and other related publications—underpins the foundational science driving MitoCareX Bio's precision oncology pipeline.
The full article is available open access at: .
About N2OFF Inc:
N2OFF owns 100% of, a drug delivery company engaged in drug discovery targeting cancer therapeutics and other diseases through the mitochondrial SLC25 protein family. Additionally, N2OFF adopted an investment strategy focused on European renewable energy assets utilizing a business model. The Company is currently the lead investor in four solar projects across three European Union countries, all introduced by Solterra Renewable Energy Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Solterra Energy Ltd
N2OFF also controls approximately 98% of Save Foods Ltd., an Israeli company focused on post-harvest treatment technologies designed to reduce pathogen contamination in fruits and vegetables.
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