Scientists discover unknown organelle inside our cells

> The discovery of an unknown organelle inside our cells could open the door to new treatments for devastating inherited diseases. The new discovery could help scientists better understand what goes wrong in genetic conditions that disrupt these essential housekeeping functions.

> This organelle, a type of specialized structure, has been dubbed **”hemifusome”**. “We think the hemifusome helps manage how cells package and process material, and when this goes wrong, it may contribute to diseases that affect many systems in the body.”

> “We’re just beginning to understand how this new organelle fits into the bigger picture of cell health and disease,” Ebrahim said. “It’s exciting because finding something truly new inside cells is rare—and it gives us a whole new path to explore.”

> While the hemifusomes have escaped detection until now, the scientists say they are **surprisingly common** in certain parts of our cells. The researchers are eager to better understand their importance to proper cellular function and learn how problems with them could be contributing to disease. Such insights, they say, could lead to targeted treatments for a range of serious genetic disorders.

> The scientists believe hemifusomes facilitate the formation of vesicles, tiny blister-like sacs that act as mixing bowls, and of organelles made up of multiple vesicles. This process is critical to cellular sorting, recycling and debris disposal, the researchers report.

> “You can think of vesicles like little delivery trucks inside the cell,” said Ebrahim, of UVA’s Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology. “The hemifusome is like a loading dock where they connect and transfer cargo. **It’s a step in the process we didn’t know existed.**”

We finally discover a whole new organelle and they *don’t* name them “midichlorians???” Are there any left to discover???