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Briefing
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- Approved Procedure – UK approves fertility clinics in December 2016 to perform procedure called spindle transfer, which adds healthy mitochondrial DNA from another woman to conception process to avoid passing on mitochondrial diseases from mother to child
- Three DNA Baby – First baby to have DNA from three different people using an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure was born in April 2016
- Mitochondrial Disease – Affects one in 5,000 people or 0.02% of population and is genetically transferred from female to child; mutations in 37 mitochondrial DNA can lead to congenital disease for which mostly there is no cure
- Methodology – Involves removing spindle or protein fibers that carry chromosomes from donor’s egg, leaving only cytoplasm and healthy mitochondria, before inserting spindle of mother's egg, and injecting sperm cell to fertilize egg
- Ethical Considerations – Include whether third person can be considered a parent, oppositions to genetic alteration of embryos, and long term health effects and potential dangers of procedure such as possibility of developing an illness
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Accelerator
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Sector
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Healthcare/Health Sciences
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Source
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Original Publication Date
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January 10, 2017
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