In a first, Baby born with 3 DNA in UK
In a first, a baby with three DNAs from three people has born in the UK through In vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure
In a first, a baby with three DNAs from three people has born in the UK. The ground-breaking In vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure aims at preventing children from inheriting incurable mitochondrial diseases.
The baby was made by combining three DNAs, its parents’, and a tiny fraction of 0.1 percent of a third donor who is a woman. However, the fertility clinic has not released any more information about the baby in a bid to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
The medical miracle was performed by the Newcastle Fertility Centre in the UK after the parliament change the law in 2015 to permit the procedure as progress happened around Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT).
Mitochondrial donation treatment
Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell and are responsible for creating most of a cell’s energy supply, which then powers the whole body. Hence, mitochondria need to work properly for the body to function. However, at times, gene abnormalities creep in leading to medical disorders known as mitochondrial disease.
Notably, mitochondrial diseases are passed down only by the mother.
The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) in the UK said, “The mitochondrial donation treatment is an option for people with mitochondrial disease to avoid passing the condition onto their children.”
In this IVF treatment, eggs or embryos are created using nuclear genetic material and healthy donated mitochondria. Later, the eggs are combined with mitochondria from the donor’s egg and fertilized with sperm to create embryos. As a result, the baby’s DNA is formed with the combination of both its parents and a tiny bit from the donor- just 37 genes.
“The resulting embryos would contain your and your partner’s (or sperm donor’s) genetic material, so they would be your biological children. Both techniques work equally well,” HFEA said.
As per HFEA, so far five babies have been made using this technique. However, it did not give any more detail.
,” Sarah Norcross, the director of the Progress Educational Trust, told BBC, “News that a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK is the next step, in what will probably remain a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation.”
