Latest news with #three-personIVF
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Just Used Three-Person DNA to Prevent Deadly Diseases in Babies
In a breakthrough that could change the future of fertility treatment, researchers in Britain announced this week that eight healthy babies were born using an experimental DNA technique designed to prevent rare and often fatal genetic diseases, CNN reported. The method, sometimes called 'three-person IVF,' combines DNA from a mother, a father, and a donor to help families avoid passing on destructive mutations in mitochondrial DNA. While most of our DNA comes from the mother and father's genetic material in the nucleus of a cell, mitochondria—the cell's power source—carry a tiny but critical amount of their own DNA. Mutations there can lead to devastating conditions, including muscle weakness, seizures, and organ failure. For a small number of parents, traditional genetic testing can't always predict the risk of these conditions. That's where the three-person technique comes in. Scientists extract healthy mitochondria from a donor egg and transfer the parents' genetic material into it before fertilization. The result? An embryo with healthy mitochondria and less than 1% donor DNA—too little to affect the child's traits, but enough to make a difference for their health. 'This marks an important milestone,' said Dr. Zev Williams of Columbia University Fertility Center. 'It's empowering more couples to pursue safe, healthy pregnancies.' The procedure has been carefully regulated in the U.K. since 2016 and is approved only for patients who have no other options. Researchers at Newcastle University and Monash University in Australia reported that out of 22 patients treated, eight have delivered healthy babies. One woman is still pregnant. However, some experts remain cautious. Critics warn of unknown long-term effects on future generations. In the U.S., federal law still prohibits clinical research involving heritable genetic modifications, keeping the technique off-limits for now. For families who've faced mitochondrial disease, the potential is life-changing. Liz Curtis, whose daughter Lily died from the condition in 2006, called the advance 'super exciting for families that don't have much hope.' Curtis now leads the Lily Foundation, which supports research into mitochondrial diseases, including this groundbreaking Just Used Three-Person DNA to Prevent Deadly Diseases in Babies first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 18, 2025
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This new 3-person IVF technique saved kids from inherited diseases
Eight children in the U.K. have been spared from devastating genetic diseases thanks to a new three-person in vitro fertilization technique, scientists from Newcastle University reported on Wednesday. The technique, which is banned in the U.S., transfers pieces from inside the mother's fertilized egg – its nucleus, plus the nucleus of the father's sperm – into a healthy egg provided by an anonymous donor. The procedure prevents the transfer of mutated genes from inside the mother's mitochondria – the cells' energy factories – that could cause incurable and potentially fatal disorders. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA can affect multiple organs, particularly those that require high energy, such as the brain, liver, heart, muscles and kidneys. One of the eight children is now 2 years old, two are between ages 1 and 2 and five are infants. All were healthy at birth, with blood tests showing no or low levels of mitochondrial gene mutations, the scientists reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. All have made normal developmental progress, they said. The results "are the culmination of decades of work," not just on the scientific/technical challenges but also in ethical inquiry, public and patient engagement, law-making, drafting and execution of regulations and establishing a system for monitoring and caring for the mothers and infants, reproductive medicine specialist Dr. Andy Greenfield of the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the research, said in a statement. The researchers' "treasure trove of data" is likely to be the starting point of new avenues of investigation, Greenfield said. Often during IVF screening procedures, doctors can identify some low-risk eggs with very few mitochondrial gene mutations that are suitable for implantation. But sometimes all of the eggs' mitochondrial DNA carries mutations. In those cases, using the new technique, the U.K. doctors first fertilize the mother's egg with the father's sperm. Then they remove the fertilized egg's 'pronuclei' – that is, the nuclei of the egg and the sperm, which carry the DNA instructions from both parents for the baby's development, survival and reproduction. Next, they transfer the egg and sperm nuclei into a donated fertilized egg that has had its pronuclei removed. The donor egg will now begin to divide and develop with its healthy mitochondria and the nuclear DNA from the mother's egg and the father's sperm. This process, detailed in a second paper in the journal, 'essentially replaces the faulty mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with healthy mtDNA from the donor,' senior researcher Mary Herbert, professor of reproductive biology at Newcastle, said at a press briefing. Blood levels of mtDNA mutations were 95% to 100% lower in six newborns, and 77% to 88% lower in two others, compared to levels of the same variants in their mothers, the researchers reported in a second paper. In case you missed it: They spent over $200K to expand their family. Doctors say it's common for LGBTQ+ couples. "These data indicate that pronuclear transfer was effective in reducing transmission of mtDNA disease," they said. The procedure was tested in 22 women whose babies were likely to inherit such genes. In addition to the eight women who delivered the children described in this report, another one of the 22 is currently pregnant. Seven of the eight pregnancies were uneventful; in one case, a pregnant woman had blood tests showing high lipid levels. There have been no miscarriages. Noted: Ask for genetic testing. It could save your life. The authors of the current reports have also tried transplanting the nucleus of a mother's unfertilized egg into a donor egg and then fertilizing the donor egg afterward, but they believe their new approach may more reliably prevent transmission of the genetic disorders. In 2015, the U.K. became the first country in the world to legalize research into mitochondrial donation treatment in humans. That same year in the U.S., pronuclear transfer was effectively banned for human use by a congressional appropriations bill that prohibited the Food and Drug Administration from using funds to consider the use of "heritable genetic modification". Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Lisa Shumaker This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A new 3-person IVF technique saved kids from inherited diseases Solve the daily Crossword
