First UK Baby With DNA from Three People Born Through IVF

A baby has been born using three people’s DNA in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first time using a pioneering IVF procedure. The process used is called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT) (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Mitochondrial Donation: A Boon or Curse for the Treatment of Incurable Mitochondrial Diseases

Go to source). In this technique, the nucleus is taken from one of the eggs of the mother, which contains her DNA, and is implanted into a donor egg. The donor egg's nuclei are removed but its healthy mitochondrial DNA is retained.

Baby’s Got Three Parents: Explaining Mitochondrial Donation Treatment

The process involves the creation of IVF embryos which are free from harmful mutations that are carried by their mothers and are likely to be passed onto their children.

Mutations in nuclear DNA (DNA found in the nucleus of a cell) can cause mitochondrial disorder. Mitochondrial diseases are chronic (long-term), genetic, often inherited disorders that occur when mitochondria fail to produce enough energy for the body to function properly.

The symptoms include poor growth, muscle weakness, muscle pain, low muscle tone, exercise intolerance, vision and/or hearing problems, learning disabilities, delays in development, swallowing difficulties, diarrhea or constipation, unexplained vomiting, cramping, reflux, etc.

Unlike normal DNA, which contains the genetic information that helps in creating normal humans, mitochondrial DNA contains power for the cell. Researchers have drawn a comparison between the mitochondrial DNA and a battery.

Know More About the One-of-A-Kind IVF Procedure

Various scientists insist that the term “three-parent baby” is not accurate because more than 98.8 percent of the child's DNA still comes from two people. A green light was given by the UK parliament to the procedure in 2015 and requests for its use were considered by the regulatory body called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The first “three-parent child” of Britain was found in a Freedom of Information request made to the HFEA. As per reports, the clinic said that few babies have been born using MDT in the UK (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
First UK baby with DNA from three people born after new IVF procedure

Go to source).

The details of the babies who have been created using the MDT program are not released by doctors amid concerns that the confidentiality of the patient can be compromised through specific information.

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The HFEA has stated that "less than five" babies were born as of 20 April 2023 using the technology. However, HFEA refused to provide precise numbers to protect the identities of the families.

In the next step, a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK. This will probably remain a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation.

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It will be interesting to know how well the mitochondrial replacement therapy technique worked at a practical level, whether the babies are free of mitochondrial disease, and whether there is any risk of them developing problems later in life.

Britain is not the first nation where children have been born through MDT. In 2016, the same procedure was used for a child who was created in Mexico.

In India, at present, the three-person IVF type is not practiced. However, since technology is developing quickly, we may be able to witness the implementation of these approaches in the upcoming years in India too.

References:

1. Mitochondrial Donation: A Boon or Curse for the Treatment of Incurable Mitochondrial Diseases - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5892101/)
2. First UK baby with DNA from three people born after new IVF procedure - (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/09/first-uk-baby-with-dna-from-three-people-born-after-new-ivf-procedure)

Source-IANS