The British government is considering regulations to allow doctors to create IVF babies using the genetic material of three people, which would avoid the development of some major childhood diseases that are transferred through the mother’s genetic material.

The procedure, pioneered by researchers at Newcastle University, takes part of the DNA of a healthy female donor in a procedure known as a mitochondrial transfer.  The DNA taken from the donor is mitochondrial DNA.  The procedure occurs before or after fertilization.  Prior to fertilization, doctors can take the mother’s egg and remove the nucleus.  In the donor egg, they take out and destroy the nucleus, inserting the mother’s nucleus.  Thus, only the mitochondrial DNA from the donor remains.  After fertilization, a similar procedure occurs, but the doctors extract the nucleus from a fertilized egg.  A donor egg fertilized by the same father will have its nucleus extracted and destroyed.  The parents’ nucleus is then inserted into the donor egg.

IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is the process of combining eggs and sperms outside of the body.  Once the egg is fertilized, the embryo or embryos are placed inside the mother’s uterus.  IVF is considered an appropriate option when one partner suffers from endometriosis, ovulation issues, antibodies that can harm sperm or eggs, sperm that cannot penetrate cervical mucus, and other fertility issues.  Since the procedure was introduced in 1981, IVF has resulted in an estimated 200,000 babies.

Mitochondria are the source of a small amount of DNA.  There are 37 genes in this DNA, all of which are for essential mitochondrial functions.  These functions include assembling functioning proteins, regulating the self-destruction of cells, energy production, oxygenating the blood, and producing cholesterol.

Approximately one in every 650,000 babies is born with a mitochondrial disease, which makes these conditions more common than childhood cancer.  Mitochondrial conditions most commonly affect children, but adult onset is increasing.  These diseases most detrimentally impact the brain, heart, liver, kidney, respiratory system, skeletal muscles, and endocrine system.  Symptoms include musculoskeletal deficiencies, gastrointestinal problems, seizures, respiratory complications, diabetes, liver disease, cardiac disease, developmental delays, a weakened immune system, and visual or hearing impairments.

This procedure can be risky as it will be a new technique to use in human reproduction.  The full ramifications are not yet known.  However, a survey conducted by the U.K. Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority found that the majority of British citizens are supportive of the technology.