Mitochondria are the cell's "power plants" and serve a critical role in global metabolism. Accordingly, dysfunction or damage of mitochondria can greatly perturb metabolism, and underlies a diverse range of human diseases, ranging from neurodegenerative conditions (ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases), epilepsy, psychiatric illness, and autism, to atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke, liver disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. The broad impact of mitochondria in so many diseases makes them an important focus for study as well as a target for therapy. This symposium brings together cutting-edge investigators with the shared goal of characterizing and curing diseases that arise from aberrant mitochondrial metabolism.