First Baby Born Using New Wave Of ‘Three-Parent’ IVF Technique
The controversial procedure replaces the mother's faulty mitochondria with donor mitochondria to produce a healthy baby while preserving the vast majority of its mother's DNA.
Los Angeles Times:
Baby Boy With DNA From 3 People Offers Hope For Moms Who Would Pass On Deadly Genetic Diseases
A healthy baby boy is the first person to be born with DNA from three people, according to a medical report released Tuesday. In addition to inheriting nuclear DNA from his mother and father, the infant also has mitochondrial DNA from a second woman who served as an egg donor. Mitochondrial DNA consists of just 37 genes, a tiny fraction of the genetic material inside a cell. Unlike nuclear DNA — which is bundled into 23 pairs of chromosomes and influences traits such as eye color, height and cancer risk — mitochondrial DNA contains instructions for the energy-producing structures inside cells. It is passed down virtually unchanged from mother to child. (Kaplan, 9/27)