Eight years after the technology was approved in the UK, the first baby was born with DNA from three different people. Like others, babies designed by this method are born from the fertilization of a single sperm in a single egg.
This milestone in medicine is the result of a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and Newcastle Fertility Centre, who were the first to explore a specialized form of fertilization, mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT). In laboratory testing mode (IVF), developed to prevent serious genetic diseases in future children. It is also important to highlight that the United Kingdom was the first country to approve the use of MRT.
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The difference between babies born from other fertilization methods lies in the relationship between the nuclear material, which contains most of the genes responsible for making a human, and the small amount of non-nuclear DNA responsible for producing the cell’s energy units. , mitochondria.
- Normally, the mother’s egg provides the embryo and a large number of mitochondria;
- However, in these cases, the donated egg provides a supply of mitochondria;
- At a minimum, only 0.1% of the baby’s DNA comes from the donor.
The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has confirmed that at least five babies have been born with the new technology and 32 patients have consented to the procedure – information about the patients remains confidential.
“The Newcastle team involved in the trials were cautious and wanted to include some follow-up data on the children, as well as protect the families’ privacy,” said Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell biologist and developmental geneticist. In the company. Francis Crick.
This is a challenge in itself. It would be interesting to know how well the MRT technique worked in practice, whether the children remained free of mitochondrial disease, whether they were at risk of problems later in life, or whether their children were at risk if they were girls. Illness strikes..
Francis Crick
with the information that Scientific alert
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