LONDON – In a major medical breakthrough, UK scientists have helped deliver eight healthy babies through a new IVF technique that combines DNA from three people, aiming to stop deadly inherited diseases from being passed on.
The trial, led by experts at Newcastle University, used a method called mitochondrial donation treatment, where the baby receives nuclear DNA from the parents and healthy mitochondrial DNA from a donor woman. This process drastically lowers the chances of babies inheriting mitochondrial disorders — rare but life-threatening conditions that affect energy production in cells.
According to researchers, the babies born through this technique have shown encouraging health signs, with most having almost no trace of the faulty DNA that could cause disease.
This revolutionary IVF method, also known as “three-parent baby” treatment, is only legal in a few countries and has been tightly regulated in the UK since 2015. Experts are calling it a hopeful option for families at high risk of passing on genetic illnesses.
However, the development has sparked debate globally, with some raising ethical concerns about altering human DNA that can be passed on to future generations. Still, scientists emphasize that only a tiny fraction of the baby’s DNA comes from the donor and does not affect traits like personality or appearance.
This success has set the stage for future research, possibly paving the way for similar treatments in other parts of the world.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.
