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A unique method for reproduction is said to lower the risk of metabolic disease.
Scientists in New Castle, U.K., have developed a new approach to in vitro fertilization (IVF) involving three people, resulting in the birth of eight healthy children.
In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers discovered that pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a common cause of severe inherited metabolic diseases that can be fatal.
This kind of DNA in the mother’s mitochondria can lead to harmful mutations in children, affecting tissues in the heart, brain, and muscles, as reported by the journal Nature.
A three-person IVF technique has led to the delivery of eight healthy babies in the U.K. (iStock)
At the Newcastle Fertility Centre, 22 women with pathogenic mtDNA variants underwent a “pronuclear transfer,” where they received a mitochondrial donation.
This process involved transferring the nucleus of a fertilized egg with faulty mitochondria into a donor egg cell with healthy mitochondria, as described in Nature.
The resulting children were born healthy, with no or low levels of mtDNA detected in their blood.
The approach involved the transfer of the nucleus of a fertilized egg with “faulty mitochondria” into a donor egg cell with healthy mitochondria. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Although one child developed hyperlipidemia and cardiac arrhythmia due to the mother’s condition during pregnancy, both were successfully treated.
Another child had infant myoclonic epilepsy, but the condition went into spontaneous remission.
All children in the study have shown normal developmental progress so far.
Dr. Zev Williams, director of Columbia University Fertility Center, hailed this research as a significant milestone in expanding reproductive options for couples seeking safe and healthy pregnancies.
This new science will “empower more couples to pursue safe and healthy pregnancies,” noted a Columbia fertility expert. (iStock)
In a press briefing, Robert McFarland, a pediatric neurologist at Newcastle University, expressed cautious optimism about the results, noting the amazing outcome of babies being born without mitochondrial disease.
The researchers of the study were contacted for further comments by Fox News Digital.
