Mitochondrial Turbocharger

((WARNING: I have only a basic, albeit theoretically college-level understanding of this subject. Therefore, this may very well be an incredibly stupid idea. Nanotechnology is invoked, but only reasonably plausible nanotech extensible from what we have today))

The mitochondrion is the major "power plant" of any eukaryotic cell. Basically, molecules are broken down into carbon dioxide, extracting high-energy electrons and a very few molecules of ATP. These electrons are in turn passed down the electron transport chain, at the end of which oxygen accepts the electrons. The electron transport chain draws energy from the electrons to pump protons into the inter-membrane space, and these then flow back into the mitochondrial matrix via ATP synthase to generate a very large amount of ATP.

Now, since only a few molecules of ATP are created by the citric-acid and other breakdown cycles that actually produce these high-energy electrons, it seems to me that we might enhance the mitochondria by simply pulling a current across the electron transport chain, with the negative end in place of the nasty, highly-reactive, cel-damaging oxygen and a positive end supplying electrons instead of this whole messy "metabolism" process.

I am aware that tiny radio recievers using nanotubes, which demodulate a radio signal into a small current, exist. These recievers, connected to gold or other conductive nanofibers via a rectifier of some sort, would be inserted into cells and the electrodes inserted into the mitochondrial inner membrane. The nanofibers would be tipped with some form of molecule that would mimick NADH or other electron-carrying molecule and bind to the receptors on the correct ends of electron-transport chain. When a high-power radio signal was pumped through the body from some form of wearable transmitter, the electrons will flow through the chain and ATP will be produced.

However, this will not eliminate the need for eating nor breathing. The mitochondrion's various breakdown cycles such as the citric-acid cycle produce a variety of feedstocks that the cell relies on for its reactions, and for that matter not all food is merely used for energy production. Likewise, oxygen is not used solely for energy production, but what the turbocharger /will/ do is allow instant, free (from your body's perspective, anyway) energy.

As it would be incredibly impractical to insert these into every cell, the turbochargers would only be placed in those cells which use most of the body's energy- the muscles, and (since these parts could almost certainly be coaxed to self-assemble and insert without human help)the brain. The power source for the transmitter would probably be a chemical battery of some sort, and would probably have the form of an RC car remote with a big red button labled "TURBOCHARGE" on it in large, silly-looking letters.

Alternatively, as self-assembling nanotube-chlorophyll electricity-producing solar cells have recently been developed, these could be hooked up instead. Be green and solar-powered!

As neither gold nor nanotubes are biologically reactive, and as the lipid membrane of the mitochondrion is an effective insulator, these devices would be harmless to the cells.