80p.bio

Measure the power. See below.

Dive

The waterline is where testing stops, not where disease starts.

What gets diagnosed: the tip of the iceberg, above a waterline at about 80% mutant mtDNA for many mutations

Many mtDNA defects surface at about 80%1Varies by mutation and tissue

  • Mean 9.9 years to diagnosis2
  • 6.7 doctors before diagnosis (mean)2
  • About 2 in 3 adults tested for mito disease: no blood-DNA answer3
  • A healthy heart makes 95% of its ATP in mitochondria4
Sources
  1. Newcastle University press release on mitochondrial donation (two NEJM papers), 16 July 2025. Symptoms appear above about 80% mutant mtDNA for the mutations in that program; thresholds vary by mutation and tissue.
  2. Thompson JLP, et al. The evolution of the mitochondrial disease diagnostic odyssey. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 18:157, 2023. Self-selected patient survey; medians are 4.2 years and five doctors.
  3. MJA InSight+. Most patients with mitochondrial disease can be diagnosed via genomic sequencing (MD Flagship study), 2025. In 140 children and adults with suspected mitochondrial disease, blood genome sequencing found no diagnosis for 69% of adults; some of them don't have mitochondrial disease.
  4. Gallo G, Rubattu S, Volpe M. Mitochondrial dysfunction in heart failure: from pathophysiological mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25(5):2667, 2024. Normal heart physiology, not a measure of disease.

80p is a metaphor for what routine testing doesn't see. It isn't a statistic.