The UK’s fertility regulator is about to make a historic decision on whether to allow the creation of babies from three people; a father and two biological mothers.

The technique will help prevent babies being born with deadly genetic diseases.

Three-person IVF has been backed by MPs and peers, got ethical approval and has been shown to be scientifically ready.

A meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on Thursday will decide whether to give the final go-ahead.

If it does, the first such baby could, at the earliest, be born towards the end of 2017.

How does it work?

The baby would have all the genetic information from its mother and father, plus a tiny amount from a donor woman.

The fertility technique has been developed to prevent deadly mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria are the tiny structures in every cell that convert food into useable energy.

Defective mitochondria affect one in 200 babies. In severe cases it can leave the child with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating, sustain the brain or move muscles.

Mitochondria are passed on only from the mother, so a second donor egg is needed to create healthy children.

But as mitochondria have their own genetic code, it means resulting children have DNA from three people.

They would have 0.1% of their DNA from the second woman – a permanent change that would be passed down through the generations.

Is it ethical?

Both the Commons and the Lords approved regulations to allow the creation of such babies in 2015.

And reports by the Nuffield Council of Bioethics and the HFEA concluded the process would be ethical.

But the final safety checks held things up and new concerns emerged that the procedure would fail in one in eight pregnancies.

The HFEA’s science advisors concluded last month that it was time to start.

Prof Robin Lovell Badge, one of the advisors, told the BBC at the time: “We’re not going to learn much more now unless you try it out for real basically – it’s at that stage.

“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t go ahead now, but do it cautiously on selected patients where the risk of having a badly affected child is very high.”

Read full story here: www.concisenews.global/health/world-may-welcome-babies-with-two-biological-mothers-before-end-of-2017/

What do you think?

Genetic modifications at molecular level!

Genetics is interesting.

It is but so complicated

I remember writing an exam about this topic once

RGem:
Genetics is interesting.

0.1% of the mitochondrial DNA is not bad at all

ItsQuinn:
It is but so complicated

I remember writing an exam about this topic once

I agree. I have a degree in biotechnology. genetics made it tougher to get. But it's really fascinating

There's nothing really spectacular about this. It's just advanced surrogacy....

I know right

Nice ....I have a degree in biomedical science.

The topics that fascinate me the most are cloning and genetic mutations or diseases

cococandy:
I agree. I have a degree in biotechnology. genetics made it tougher to get. But it's really fascinating

ItsQuinn:
It is but so complicated

I remember writing an exam about this topic once

Yeah, it is.
Narrowly passed the exam in school back then.

Same....thank God it wasn't my final exam

RGem:


Yeah, it is.
Narrowly passed the exam in school back then.

Genetics, if you ask me, seems to hold the key to the cure of presently incurable diseases like Cancer, Diabetes, and some birth defects.

ItsQuinn:
I know right

Nice ....I have a degree in biomedical science.

The topics that fascinate me the most are cloning and genetic mutations or diseases

Have you seen this TV Series: The Strain?

You would love it. Whats up darling?

No but I've seen the trailer of it.

I'm fine thank you, how have you been?

kayemjay:


Have you seen this TV Series: The Strain?

You would love it. Whats up darling?