VDAC1 and hypertensive disorder: Future research directions should prioritize: MERC-targeted therapies to restore calcium homeostasis via modulation of the VDAC1-IP3R-GRP75 complex, with age, we see a reduction in the MERC complex, contributing to mitochondrial calcium overload and hypertension; multiomics approaches integrating proteomics and metabolomics to map mitochondrial dynamics in aging and precision medicine strategies to develop biomarkers for mitochondrial dysfunction in salt-sensitive hypertensive patients.