UK Scientists Use 3-Parent IVF to Prevent Genetic Diseases

A pioneering in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique in the UK has led to the birth of eight healthy babies using DNA from three people: The mother, the father, and a donor woman.

Known as mitochondrial donation, the method is designed to prevent the transmission of devastating hereditary diseases caused by faulty mitochondria, the cell’s energy-producing units.

Scientists at Newcastle University remove the parents’ nuclear DNA and insert it into a donor egg containing healthy mitochondria. The resulting embryo contains over 99% of the parents’ DNA and a tiny fraction from the donor, enough to protect the child from mitochondrial disorders.

So far, the children born through this method are developing normally. The UK is currently the only country where this treatment is legal, while it remains banned in places like the United States.

Experts hope to monitor the children up to age five to assess long-term outcomes.