BRITAIN could become the first country to sanction the creation of babies with three parents. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied
UK FERTILITY regulators have paved the way for the government to legalise the creation of IVF babies with three genetic parents.
In advice to ministers, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) set out safeguards for controversial mitochondrial replacement techniques that could affect future generations.
The technique would involve defective DNA in the mother's egg being replaced with material from a donor egg. A child would effectively have two mothers and a father.
But the HFEA did not explicitly argue for a change of the law that would allow children to be conceived with the help of DNA donated by a second "mother".
Instead, it was left to ministers to decide whether they should ask Parliament to consent to the procedures.
Experts believe mitochondrial replacement could lead to the eradication of a host of serious inherited diseases.
Critics argue it is the start of a slippery slope towards "designer" babies and eugenics.
However, a consultation exercise conducted by the HFEA has shown that members of the public broadly support for the treatments to prevent disease.
Mitochondria are rod-shaped power plants in cells that supply energy. They contain their own DNA which is only passed onto offspring by mothers.
Defects in mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) give rise to a range of potentially life-threatening diseases, including a form of muscular dystrophy and conditions leading to the loss of hearing and vision, heart problems and bowel disorders.
One in 200 children are born with a mitochondrial disease each year in the UK, and an estimated 6,000 adults are believed to be affected by the conditions.
The new techniques result in the damaged mDNA being replaced by a healthy version supplied by the female donor.
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