LONDON. The birth of a child from DNA three people in Britannia This was reported by the competent authority of the country. Most of his genetic material Baby comes from parents and about 0.1% from a third party, a female donor.

The experimental technique is part of efforts to prevent children from being born with chronic mitochondrial diseases. So far, fewer than five children have been born using this method, although British authorities have not provided further details.

Mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days or even hours after birth. Some families have lost many children to these genetic diseases, and revolutionary technology is considered the only viable way for these couples to have a healthy baby.

Mitochondria are tiny parts inside almost every cell in the human body that convert food into usable energy. Defective mitochondria do not nourish the body and cause brain damage, muscle atrophy, heart failure and blindness.

Mitochondrial Donation

Mitochondria are transmitted exclusively from the mother. Mitochondrial Donor Therapy is a variant of IVF using mitochondria from a healthy donor egg. There are two methods of mitochondrial donation. One is done after the mother’s egg has been fertilized with the father’s sperm, and the other before fertilization.

Most of the genetic material of a newborn comes from the parents and about 0.1% from a third party, the female donor.

Mitochondria, however, have their own DNA, meaning that children resulting from this process will inherit their parents’ genes, as well as a small trace of the donor’s genes. This is a permanent genetic change that will be passed on to the next generations.

However, the donor’s DNA is only used to create viable mitochondria, does not affect other characteristics such as appearance, and is not the “third parent” of the child. The technique was invented in Newcastle, and Britain has already passed laws for the birth of such children since 2015. However, despite the presence of a legislative framework, the UK has refrained from immediately promoting research. The first child born with this method belongs to a Jordanian family and was treated in a US hospital in 2016.

The UK Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced that by the end of April 2023, “fewer than five babies” had been born using this method. The agency does not release exact numbers to protect the families’ anonymity. These few details about the method were made public thanks to a request from The Guardian newspaper to the relevant government authorities.

“The news that a small number of babies have been born with donated mitochondria in the UK is the next step. The process will be careful and slow,” says Sarah Norcross, head of independent charity Progress Educational Trust.

Meanwhile, the Newcastle University scientific team made no claims about the experimental method, raising doubts about its success. Professor Robin Lovell-Bage of the Francis Crick Research Institute says: “It would be interesting to know how well mitochondrial replacement therapy worked and whether children are free from mitochondrial diseases.” It is estimated that 150 children with mitochondrial diseases are born in the country every year.