The UK has welcomed the arrival of the world’s first baby born with DNA from three parents via a technique known as mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT). The procedure is designed to prevent mitochondrial defects that can result in a range of severe, incurable diseases from being passed down in families. MDT involves giving a fertilised egg nuclear DNA from both its mother and father, prior to adding healthy mitochondrial DNA from a female donor, effectively creating an embryo with DNA from three individuals. The child, born in the UK, received the treatment from Newcastle Fertility Centre after it was granted a licence to practise MDT in 2017.
Mitochondria are small power plants in cells that supply the body with energy, holding only around 0.1% of a person’s DNA which is always inherited from the mother. Mitochondrial DNA disorders can result in a range of conditions including blindness, liver failure, heart problems, brain disorders and muscle conditions like muscular dystrophy. Experts believe that around one in 6,500 children suffer from these conditions.
MDT is an essential technique for preventing mitochondrial diseases from being passed to future generations. Trials have shown that MDT is highly effective at preventing mitochondrial disease, with no adverse effects on the health of the child or mother. The procedure has been criticises by some groups voiced concerns that it could lead to the creation of so-called “designer babies.”
In 2015, MPs and peers at the UK Houses of Parliament voted to allow MDT under the Human Fertilisation and Embryonic Act. The regulator of the UK’s fertility industry, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, has confirmed that the data up to 20 April showed the treatment had been performed less than five times.
The first baby created via MDT was born in Mexico with the aid of a New York team in 2016. The mother of the baby had genes that caused Leigh Syndrome, a fatal disorder that disrupts the development of the nervous system.
Peter Thompson, CEO of the HFEA said, “Mitochondrial donation treatment offers families with severe inherited mitochondrial illness the possibility of a healthy child. These are still early days for mitochondrial donation treatment and the HFEA continues to review clinical and scientific developments.”
The arrival of the world’s first child to be born with DNA from three individuals via MDT is a significant move forward for UK fertility experts, who have already led the way in this area by being the first country in the world to approve this procedure. It is hoped that MDT will offer hope to thousands of families worldwide who are affected by mitochondrial diseases.
