TEMPO.CO, London - England will be the first country to legally create a baby using DNA from three persons. The scientists claim that the new technique is three times more successful than the previous model.
Besides, the model allows the baby to be born without congenital health risks. Parents with high risks of having a child with serious birth defects such as muscle dystrophy will be offered this fertilization method.
With the approval of the rule, first baby having three parents is expected to be born in England in 2015. The new rule will go through public consultation procedures before being approved by United Kingdom parliament next year.
Nowadays, averagely 10 patients are going through this program every year. The program involves replacement of the small portion of the damaged mother's DNA with those from healthy donor.
The process is to avoid birth defects risks causing some rare conditions that affect heart, muscle, and brain. The technique has a controversial issue because it involves embryo genetics modifications which mean that genetic material from the third party not only will be run in the child's blood, but also the next female generations.
The UK Health Ministry will issue the draft of the law at the end of this year which allows a 'high risk' family therapy to have healthy and normal babies. The technique is purposed to overcome some rare hereditary conditions caused by mitochondria mutation, the structure that supplies electricity into body cells.
Defects in mitochondria cause various serious problems including muscle dystrophy and affect approximately one of 6,500 children born in England, a larger number than children cancer occurrences. The program called 'mitochondria replacement therapy' is objected to avoid mothers transmitting the defects to their children.
The 'tube baby' expert Dame Sally stated that the process is similar to that in replacing damaged battery for the cars. New mitochondria are planted but will not affect their appearances. "Mitochondria disorders can have bad effect to their heirs," she said.
Professor Doug Turnbull, who pioneers the technique in Newcastle University said, "I am happy that the government is making a forward movement with the law draft and final version for the debate at parliament next year. This is very good news for family with mitochondria disorders."
TELEGRAPH | TRIP B