In a major scientific breakthrough, eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using a pioneering IVF technique that reduces the risk of mothers passing on mitochondrial DNA diseases. The successful births, announced Wednesday as part of a world-first trial, mark a new era in reproductive medicine.
The babies—four girls and four boys, including a set of identical twins—were born to seven women who carried harmful mutations in their mitochondrial DNA, which can cause debilitating or fatal conditions such as impaired vision, diabetes, and muscle wasting. These disorders affect about one in every 5,000 births and currently have no cure.
Developed by researchers at Newcastle University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the method—known as pronuclear transfer—involves transplanting the nucleus of a fertilised egg with defective mitochondria into a donor egg with healthy mitochondria. This technique, dubbed “three-person IVF,” ensures the child inherits nuclear DNA from their biological parents and mitochondrial DNA from a donor.
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According to findings published in the New England Journal Of Medicine, none of the eight babies show signs of mitochondrial disease, and the mother's disease-causing mutations were either undetectable or present at levels too low to cause illness.
“This is a landmark study on preventing mitochondrial disease,” said Dietrich Egli, a stem-cell scientist at Columbia University.
Professor Sir Doug Turnbull of Newcastle University added, “Today’s news offers fresh hope to many more women at risk of passing on this condition.”
Parents expressed deep gratitude. One mother said, “Mitochondrial donation IVF made that possible and we’re overwhelmed with gratitude.” Another said, “This breakthrough has lifted the heavy cloud of fear... and in its place is hope, joy, and deep gratitude.”
The treatment is offered in the UK through the NHS Mitochondrial Reproductive Care Pathway under regulated research protocols.
Source: NDTV