Scientists keen to test DNA technique

Source: World News Australia

Australian scientists want to find out if using the DNA of three parents will prevent children inheriting life-threatening diseases.

But they say if the technique proves successful in preventing the transfer of mitochondrial DNA mutations from mothers to babies, then laws on the use of embryos will need to be changed to allow the procedure.

About one child a week is born in Australia with such mutations that can affect the way the body converts food into energy, damaging muscle and nerve function and causing organ failure, strokes, and growth and hearing problems.

The proposed technique to prevent this involves transferring a mother's chromosomes into a donor egg that has had its chromosomes removed but has healthy mitochondrial DNA present.

Then, as in normal IVF treatment, the eggs would be fertilised with sperm and the resultant embryo could develop.

A second technique would first allow the father's sperm to fertilise the egg and then transfer the mother's and father's chromosomes to a healthy donor egg.

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