Baby Born with Three DNA in UK Sparks Reactions, Many People Find it Unbelievable, Scientists Say it is True
- A baby has been born in the United Kingdom using DNA from three people employing a technique called mitochondrial donation treatment
- The technique aims to prevent children from inheriting rare and incurable mitochondrial diseases that can cause brain damage, heart failure and blindness
- The technique involves using mitochondria from a healthy donor egg and combining it with the sp'erm and egg from the biological parents, resulting in a baby with DNA from the mother and father as usual, plus a small amount of genetic material from the donor
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A baby has been born using three people’s DNA for the first time in the UK, Al Jazeera has confirmed.
The baby was created using a pioneering IVF technique called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT), which aims to prevent children from inheriting rare genetic diseases.
Source: TikTok
The baby’s DNA comes mostly from their two parents and around 0.1% from a third, donor woman.
The donor provided healthy mitochondria, the tiny structures inside cells that convert food into energy. Defective mitochondria can cause brain damage, muscle wasting, heart failure and blindness.
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The technique was developed by doctors at the Newcastle Fertility Centre, who have been granted a licence to perform it in 2017, BBC reports. The UK was the first country to legalise MDT in 2015, after years of scientific and ethical debate.
Mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days or even hours of birth.
Some families have lost multiple children and this technique is seen as the only option for them to have a healthy child of their own.
How it is done
MDT involves removing the nucleus from one of the mother’s eggs and transferring it into a donor egg that has had its own nucleus removed.
The resulting egg contains the mother’s nuclear DNA and the donor’s mitochondrial DNA. The egg is then fertilised by the father’s spe'rm and implanted into the mother’s womb.
However, supporters of MDT argue that it is a safe and effective way to prevent devastating diseases and that it does not constitute a “third parent” because the donor DNA is only relevant for making effective mitochondria and does not affect other traits such as appearance.
Milestone for reproductive medcine
The news was welcomed by scientists and patient groups, who said it was a milestone for reproductive medicine and a hope for families affected by mitochondrial diseases.
However, some critics have raised concerns about the long-term safety and ethical implications of MDT, and have called for more research and public debate before it becomes widely available.
Man with white patches on his body gives birth to baby with same marks
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that A TikTok video shows a man and his newborn baby who looks exactly like him in bodily appearance.
In the video posted by @michelhlonmeti, it could be seen that the man has some white marks (vitiligo) on his body, and his daughter came out with the same marks.
From the video, the man could be seen with smooth white patches on his frontal hair, his forehead and parts of his face. Also, the white marks could be seen on his lips, chest, hands and beard.
Source: Legit.ng
