Volume 36, No 1, Jan 2026

ISSN: 1001-0602 
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018 
impact factor 17.848* 
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)

Volume 36 Issue 1, January 2026: 11-37   |  Open Access

REVIEW ARTICLE

Mitophagy in the pathogenesis and management of disease

Qi Wang^1,† , Yu Sun^2,† , Terytty Yang Li^2,* , Johan Auwerx^1,*

¹Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology, Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
²Shanghai Key Laboratory of Metabolic Remodeling and Health, Laboratory of Longevity and Metabolic Adaptations, Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
^†These authors contributed equally: Qi Wang, Yu Sun
Correspondence: Terytty Yang Li(teryttyliyang@fudan.edu.cn)Johan Auwerx(admin.auwerx@epfl.ch)

Mitophagy, an evolutionarily conserved quality-control process, selectively removes damaged mitochondria to maintain cellular homeostasis. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular machinery underlying mitophagy — from receptors and stress-responsive triggers to lysosomal degradation — illustrate its key role in maintaining mitochondrial integrity and adapting mitochondrial function to ever-changing physiological demands. In this review, we outline the fundamental mechanisms of mitophagy and discuss how dysregulation of this pathway disrupts mitochondrial function and metabolic balance, driving a wide range of disorders, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune-related diseases, as well as cancer. We explore the dual role of mitophagy as both a disease driver and a therapeutic target, highlighting the efforts and challenges of translating mechanistic insights into precision therapies. Targeting mitophagy to restore mitochondrial homeostasis may be at the center of a large range of translational opportunities for improving human health.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-025-01203-7

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