While
having more than two biological parents sounds like science-fiction, recent
medical advances have made it a big possibility for the future.
Scientists
in the U.K. have recently gotten permission from the Human Fertilisation and
Embryo Authority (HFEA) to carry out a new in vitro fertilization (IVF)
technique in a clinic at Newcastle University that, if successful, could
prevent children from being born with certain genetic diseases -- and give them
three biological parents.
Developed
by doctors in Newcastle, the treatment known as mitochondrial donation replaces
the mother's faulty mitochondria with healthy mitochondria from another woman.
Mitochondria
are present in almost every cell and create more than 90 percent of the energy
needed by the body to sustain life and support organ function. So when they
begin failing, organs are at risk of failing as well.
Unfortunately,
mitochondrial disease primarily affects children. About one in 4,300 children
with it are born every year, and there is no cure -- but that's what makes this
treatment so significant. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited through the
mother's eggs, so replacing it with healthy samples could prevent the disease
altogether and save lives.
"Patients
will now be able to apply individually to the HFEA to undergo mitochondrial
donation treatment at Newcastle, which will be life-changing for them, as they
seek to avoid passing on serious genetic diseases to future generations,"
said Sally Cheshire, chair of HFEA.
To
learn more about this groundbreaking technique, check out the video below.
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