A January 2020 study by the Institut National De la Sante Et De La Reserche Medicale has found a new component in blood: mitochondria. The researchers said,
"When we consider the sheer number of extracellular mitochondria found in the blood, we have to ask why such a discovery had not been made before …Our team has built up expertise in the specific and sensitive detection of DNA in the blood, by working on the fragmentation of extracellular DNA derived from the mitochondria in particular …The extracellular mitochondria could perform various tasks as messenger for the entire body"
This new knowledge opens up areas of research for treatment options in relation to inflammation, for example and biomarkers in non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and cancer.