Disease free baby can be created

University of New Castle in a remarkable achievement claimed to have created embryo with three parents using the genetic material from two women and a man.

The technique used hold promises for future research which might prevent babies from inheriting many fatal genetic diseases. The technique can be used to prevent mitochondrial disease from mother to the child.

The team of scientist claimed to have created 10 embryos using the technique and through this technique the scientists believed that it is possible to cure such genetic disease transferred through mitochondria by removing the nucleus from the fertilized embryo with damaged mitochondria and transplanting it into a healthy egg.

Mitochondria also known as the power house of the cell is known to cause about 50 disease including fatal liver failure, stroke-like episodes, blindness, mental retardation with epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and deafness.

Patrick Chinnery, a professor of neurogenetics at Newcastle University said, “We want to stop these defects being passed on because these diseases are often severe, we have no cures, and often, mean there are kids dying at a very young age. This is for patients or their relatives, who are at risk of passing these genetic defects on to their children.”

The embryos were fertilized through the in vitro method, after one day the embryo’s pronuclei were taken out and were infused into an enucleated egg from a second woman with healthy mitochondria.

The egg was allowed to undergo various developmental stage till fifth day after which they were terminated. Normally after 64 celled stages the egg is transplanted into a woman to carry out the process of development normally. Such experiments in mice have produced healthy offspring.

This method has raised curiosity in scientist community and it is reported that the study which holds many promises to create a disease free baby was tabled but was rejected on Monday. The issue is likely to be debated again; the teams of scientist have claimed that this method does not involve cloning.