First Time Baby Born With DNA of 3 People

A breakthrough achievement has been confirmed by the regulatory body overseeing fertility in the UK, as a baby has been successfully born using the DNA of three individuals for the first time in the country. The majority of the child's genetic material originates from its biological parents, while approximately 0.1% comes from a third person—a donor woman. This innovative technique aims to prevent the occurrence of severe mitochondrial disorders.

A Measure To Fight Mitochondrial Diseases

Mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can prove fatal within a matter of hours or days after birth. Families who have experienced the loss of multiple children due to such conditions view this technique as their sole opportunity to have a healthy child. Mitochondria, the small compartments found in nearly every cell of the body, play a crucial role in converting food into usable energy. When mitochondria are defective, they fail to adequately fuel the body, resulting in conditions such as brain damage, muscle wastage, heart failure, and blindness.



UK Allow 3 -person Babies

The United Kingdom has now authorized the birth of "three-person babies," a term used to describe children created through mitochondrial donation—a modified form of in vitro fertilization (IVF) that involves using mitochondria from a healthy donor egg. Mitochondrial donation can be performed either after fertilization by transferring nuclear material from the unhealthy embryo to a healthy donor embryo or before fertilization by replacing the nuclear material in the unhealthy unfertilized egg with that of a donor egg.

A Hopeful Direction

Sarah Norcross, the director of the Progress Educational Trust, commented, "The news that a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK is the next step in what will likely continue as a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation."

While it was once estimated that up to 150 babies conceived through this method could be born annually in the UK, the current number remains considerably lower.