For the first time in the UK, a baby was born from three people's DNA. This was made possible through a novel in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.
Mitochondrial Donation Treatment
According to the BBC, the novel IVF procedure has resulted in the baby holding three different DNA. Most of the baby's DNA belongs to the parents, while roughly 0.1% is attributed to a donor woman.
These procedures come as a measure to prevent serious, incurable mitochondrial conditions from accompanying a child's birth. Called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT), the procedure makes use of egg cells from healthy donor women in order to make IVF embryos. These embryos shall be protected from any detrimental mutations, as reported by the Mirror.
Mitochondrial conditions are incurable and could lead to death within mere days or even hours of birth. Several families have lost several children due to such conditions. In fact, roughly one in 6,000 babies is affected by such conditions.
Mirror adds that mitochondria are tiny parts of almost every cell that transform food into energy that can be used. Defects in this cell part lead to failures in fueling the body. It may also result in muscle waste, brain damage, blindness, and cardiovascular failure.
These are passed down solely by the mother. Hence, MDT is a modified IVF that specifically utilizes the mitochondria from the egg of a healthy woman donor.
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Donor's DNA
However, these cell powerhouses carry DNA of their own. This means that the child will inherit a bit of the donor's DNA as well. Such permanent changes could be passed down through many generations.
Despite this, the donor's DNA only specifically works on the mitochondria. Hence, it does not impact other genetic traits, such as the baby's appearance. This also does not mean that the donor is a third genetic parent of some sort.
Babies in UK Born With Donated Mitochondria
The BBC adds that the method was founded in Newcastle and that the UK introduced laws that allowed such births in 2015. However, this was not something that the country immediately delved into, as the first baby that was born through such methods was in 2016. The baby belonged to a Jordanian family that received treatment in the United States.
The Independent reports that the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has confirmed that there have been fewer than five babies born in the country following MDT. This is as of April 20, 2023. No explicit numbers are issued in order to protect the confidentiality of the families.
Robin Lovell-Based, a professor from the Francis Crick Research Institute, notes how it will be interesting to know how MDT works practically, whether the babies born indeed ended up free from the condition, and whether they are at risk of developing later-life problems.
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