Just as our bodies have organs that carry out specific functions to keep us healthy and alive, each of our cells have tiny structures known as organelles that do the same. Some of the more well-known organelles include the mitochondria, which produces chemical energy; the ribosomes, which put proteins together; and the nuclei, which store our genetic material.

While you might think that after years of looking at our cells under microscopes, scientists would have spotted just about everything they contain, the UVA researchers delivered a surprise to the world of biology by identifying what they've termed a "hemifusome." They found the organelle by using cryo-electron tomography, an imaging method that freezes cells and creates three-dimensional images of their internal structures. The technique allows researchers to see inside biological material almost as if it was in its native state.

"This is like discovering a new recycling center inside the cell," said researcher Seham Ebrahim, from UVA's Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics. "We think the hemifusome helps manage how cells package and process material, and when this goes wrong, it may contribute to diseases that affect many systems in the body."

In an interview with Virginia television station WHSV, Ebrahim said that some of those diseases include neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The team also points to how its finding could help some rare genetic disorders such as Hemansky-Pudlak syndrome, which can cause issues with blood clotting, vision problems, albinism and more.

"We're just beginning to understand how this new organelle fits into the bigger picture of cell health and disease," Ebrahim said. "It's exciting because finding something truly new inside cells is rare – and it gives us a whole new path to explore."

The researchers believe the hemifusome works by creating vesicles, tiny bubble-like structures that surround substances in our cells and move them around.

"You can think of vesicles like little delivery trucks inside the cell," said Ebrahim. "The hemifusome is like a loading dock where they connect and transfer cargo. It's a step in the process we didn't know existed."