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New Technique for Preventing Mitochondrial Diseases: Scientists at Newcastle University (Britain) and Monash University (Australia) have successfully used a new technique to prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial diseases.
Successful Outcomes: The technique was performed on embryos from 22 patients, resulting in the birth of eight healthy babies (with one woman still pregnant). These babies appear to be free of mitochondrial diseases.
Minor Issue in One Baby: One baby showed slightly higher than expected levels of abnormal mitochondria, but experts don’t believe it’s enough to cause disease, though monitoring is recommended.
Limited Use: The technique is intended for a small number of women where other methods of preventing genetic disease transmission (like embryo testing) are ineffective.
minimal Donor DNA: The amount of DNA from the donor woman (providing the healthy mitochondria) is very small – less than 1% – and the child will not inherit traits from her. The amount of donor DNA is even less than what a person receives in a bone marrow transplant.
Expert Opinions: The work is hailed as a “triumph of scientific innovation” but will be used cautiously.