UK becomes FIRST country to approve controversial 'three-parent baby' technique
SO-CALLED "three-parent baby" treatments for inherited diseases have been given the green light by Britain's fertility regulator.
Procedures for the 'three-parent baby' treatment are set to go ahead next spring
The decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) paves the way for the first mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) procedures to go ahead next spring.
Board members of the HFEA unanimously voted to allow clinics to apply for permission to help women give birth to babies with three genetic parents.
The IVF children would receive a tiny amount of DNA from a third person other than their mother and father, an egg donor.
Scientists at the University of Newcastle, which has pioneered the treatments, say they already have women lined up for the therapy.
The team hopes to treat up to 25 women a year with NHS funding.
Every patient will have to be considered separately before a licence allowing the therapy is issued by the HFEA.
At the end of the meeting in London HFEA chairwoman Sally Cheshire said: "This is a historic decision.
The treatment involves IVF children receiving a tiny amount of DNA from a third person
Doctor says three parent babies will benefit mankind
"Patients who might be in line for this treatment will be really pleased with what we've decided today."
This is a historic decision
The move came after an independent panel of experts cleared away remaining safety hurdles to recommend "cautious adoption" of MRT to prevent devastating inherited diseases.
Fertility doctors carrying out the treatment will aim to replace abnormal genes in the mitochondria, rod-like power plants in cells that generate energy.
Mitochondria only hold around 0.1 per cent of a person's DNA, which is always inherited from the mother and has no influence over individual characteristics such as appearance and personality.
The vote to allow clinics to apply for permission to do the treatment was unanimous
It is quite separate from the DNA in the cell nucleus which house the vast majority of an individual's genes.
But when mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) goes wrong, the results can be catastrophic, leading to a wide range of potentially fatal conditions affecting vital organs, muscles, vision, growth and mental ability.
MRT involves removing faulty mitochondria and replace them with healthy ones from a donor.
Scientists at the University of Newcastle hope to treat up to 25 women a year
Two different techniques may be employed, either before or after fertilisation but the end result is the same - an embryo containing healthy mitochondria from the donor and nuclear DNA from the baby’s mother and father.
Mitochondrial replacement could, theoretically, prevent a child developing inherited diseases and could also protect future generations.
Last year, the UK became the first country in the world to legalise mitochondrial replacement after MPs and peers voted in favour of allowing it.
Although the “three-parent” babies born thanks to the Newcastle research will be the first in Britain, they will not be the first in the world.
In September this year, a child was born in Mexico to parents from Jordan, thanks to work carried out by American doctors.