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from the mothers-day-just-got-more-expensive dept.
The BBC reports that three-person IVF will soon be legal in the United Kingdom. The procedure involves replacing mitochondrial DNA in an embryo from that of a second woman in order to eliminate deadly mitochondrial genetic disorders. Alana Saarinen was successfully conceived in the U.S. using the procedure back in 2000, but the FDA banned ooplasm transfer in 2001.
The UK has now become the first country to approve laws to allow the creation of babies from three people. The modified version of IVF has passed its final legislative obstacle after being approved by the House of Lords. The fertility regulator will now decide how to license the procedure to prevent babies inheriting deadly genetic diseases. The first baby could be born as early as 2016. A large majority of MPs in the House of Commons approved "three-person babies" earlier this month. The House of Lords tonight rejected an attempt to block the plan by a majority of 232. Estimates suggest 150 couples would be suitable to have babies through the technique each year.
Additional coverage at Wired UK and The Guardian.
Related: UK Parliament Gives Three-"Source" IVF the Go-Ahead.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 26 2015, @10:03PM
Replace the nucleus of an animal egg with that of a human egg, and then fertilize it with human sperm.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by deimtee on Thursday February 26 2015, @11:56PM
Not sure why the parent is modded troll. If you are going to fix defective mitochondria it may be worth looking around for the best replacements.
Not necessarily human. And while some might go for cheetah dna for sprinters, there are other options, like longevity, hardiness, and efficiency to consider.
eg Parrots are amazingly long-lived for their size and activity level. Tortoises live even longer, but aren't as active.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.