Mitochondrial disorders are common and are very difficult to treat. Our mission is to develop therapies for these diseases.   We are initially targeting Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA), which is a progressive disease that affects multiple body systems, particularly the brain and heart. FA is the most common ataxia in man and is caused by a deficiency of a key protein, frataxin, which is normally present in the mitochondria of all tissues.  Children and young adults progressively lose the ability to walk and speak, and their hearts become very thick and weak, and can eventually fail. There is currently no cure for FA