Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people, in a bid to prevent inherited diseases with often fatal consequences. The method, applied by British scientists, combines the egg and sperm of a mother and father, with a second egg from a donor woman.
The technique has been legal in the UK for a decade, but the country now has the first evidence that it leads to the birth of children without the incurable mitochondrial disease. It is passed from mother to child, depriving the body of energy. The disease can cause serious problems and some babies die within days of birth, A2 CNN reports.
Couples know they are at risk if other children, family members or the mother, are affected. Babies born through the three-person technique inherit most of their DNA and genetic makeup from their parents, but also receive a small portion, 0.1 percent, from the second wife. This is a difference that is passed down through generations.
One in 5,000 babies are born with mitochondrial disease each year, which can leave the body with insufficient energy to keep the heart pumping, and can also cause brain damage, epilepsy, blindness, muscle weakness and organ collapse. (A2 Televizion)
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