FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas was awarded $3.1 million to study a specific area of disorders.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded the UofA to study pediatric mitochondrial disorders caused by mutations in the mitochondria. These mutations lead to an impact on different organs and can lead to mitochondria-induced multiple organ disorder syndromes, or MIMODS, according to a news release.

Doctor Shilpa Iyer, an associate professor of biological sciences, said that they will be studying the brain, heart, nerve, muscle and kidney cells.

“Starting with skin cells from children with mitochondrial disorders, our team is involved in recreating cells in vital organs impacted by the disease to capture many aspects of disease progression, which could lead to better understanding of mitochondria mutations and multiple organ failure,” Iyer said. “It is our hope that results from these studies will provide new therapies for patients impacted by mitochondrial disorders.”

Mitochondria exist inside cells playing a vital role in energy production.

The study will last 5 years. Researchers are aiming to find treatments for the disorders to organ failure in pediatric mitochondrial disorders.