“Three parents” birth or, specifically, the mitochondrial transfer technique is a procedure that allows to replace a small amount of defective DNA in mother’s egg with a normal DNA from a second woman, therefore babies inherit genes from two mothers and one father. Consequently, the resulting baby has 20,000 genes on 23 pairs of chromosomes from its mother and father. The donor donates only DNA that is in mitochondria (less than 0.2% of total DNA). Two mitochondrial transfer techniques exist, both use in vitro fertilization (IVF) (Ian Sample, 2015).
The first is maternal spindle transfer (MST), where the “repair is done before fertilization” by removal of nucleus from mother’s egg and transfer of it into a normal donor egg that had its nucleus removed. This reassembled egg has mother’s nuclear DNA and donor’s normal mitochondria. Then, this egg is fertilized and the …show more content…
Specifically, faults in mitochondrial DNA can cause: Parkinson, diabetes, epilepsy, loss of eyesight, Barth syndrome, progressive infantile poliodystrophy and Leigh’s disease. Organs that need a lot of energy are the most affected by this condition: heart, liver, brain and muscles. Additionally, mitochondrial diseases are commonly fatal before adulthood. Babies are affected in childhood and, thereafter, the disease get progressively worse. Around 1 in 200 babies suffer from mitochondrial disease. Most of them will experience mild problems that emerge later in life. However, 1 in 6500 can have serious conditions that can lead to their death. Currently, no cure exists for mitochondrial disorder. (Sample, 2015) It is important to note that mitochondrial transfer technique can, also, reduce mitochondrial disease and its effect on babies, give more “reproductive options” for mothers who want children of their own and this choice deserves respect (Klitzman, Toynbee, Sauer,
The first is maternal spindle transfer (MST), where the “repair is done before fertilization” by removal of nucleus from mother’s egg and transfer of it into a normal donor egg that had its nucleus removed. This reassembled egg has mother’s nuclear DNA and donor’s normal mitochondria. Then, this egg is fertilized and the …show more content…
Specifically, faults in mitochondrial DNA can cause: Parkinson, diabetes, epilepsy, loss of eyesight, Barth syndrome, progressive infantile poliodystrophy and Leigh’s disease. Organs that need a lot of energy are the most affected by this condition: heart, liver, brain and muscles. Additionally, mitochondrial diseases are commonly fatal before adulthood. Babies are affected in childhood and, thereafter, the disease get progressively worse. Around 1 in 200 babies suffer from mitochondrial disease. Most of them will experience mild problems that emerge later in life. However, 1 in 6500 can have serious conditions that can lead to their death. Currently, no cure exists for mitochondrial disorder. (Sample, 2015) It is important to note that mitochondrial transfer technique can, also, reduce mitochondrial disease and its effect on babies, give more “reproductive options” for mothers who want children of their own and this choice deserves respect (Klitzman, Toynbee, Sauer,