Damon Runyon Researchers

Mitochondria are best known as the cell’s power plants, but they also help cells respond to stress and repair their own DNA. A mitochondrial protein called ATAD3A plays a key role in these processes and is found at abnormally high levels in many aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer, where it contributes to tumor growth and resistance to treatment. Dr. Orta studies how ATAD3A acts as a sensor of mitochondrial DNA damage—detecting trouble inside the mitochondria and helping signal to other parts of the cell, like the endoplasmic reticulum, that stress responses are needed. Using cryo-electron microscopy along with biochemical and cell-based approaches, she aims to uncover how ATAD3A is regulated and how its function supports cancer cell survival. Ultimately, she hopes to expose new ways to target mitochondrial stress pathways in cancer. Dr. Orta received her PhD from California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and her BS from the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso.