Babies With Three Parents A Possibility
Babies with three biological parents could be born with an in vitro fertilization technique meant to eliminate hereditary diseases, British researchers say. Such a baby would inherit its identity from its true mother and father but also would possess some DNA from a donor egg, the researchers said. Researchers have received $9 million in funding to develop the procedure that could prevent genetic conditions from being passed on to children. The research has generated controversy because it involves transferring the parents’ DNA into a donor egg, with the result that the child would inherit a tiny fraction of genetic coding from a third party. Current law bans the implantation of such eggs into patients. The research is aimed at tackling inherited diseases in families caused by mutated mitochondrial DNA passed down only by the mother.
Babies with three biological parents could be born with an in vitro fertilization technique meant to eliminate hereditary diseases, British researchers say. Such a baby would inherit its identity from its true mother and father but also would possess some DNA from a donor egg, the researchers said. Researchers have received $9 million in funding to develop the procedure that could prevent genetic conditions from being passed on to children. The research has generated controversy because it involves transferring the parents’ DNA into a donor egg, with the result that the child would inherit a tiny fraction of genetic coding from a third party. Current law bans the implantation of such eggs into patients. The research is aimed at tackling inherited diseases in families caused by mutated mitochondrial DNA passed down only by the mother.
