Mitochondrial Donation Treatment

In a groundbreaking In vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, a baby made with DNA from three people has been born in the UK. The new medical miracle is aimed at preventing children from inheriting incurable mitochondrial diseases.

How do defects occur in Mitochondria?

• Mitochondria are basically the powerhouses of the cells. They generate energy, and thus are also responsible for cell function in the human body.
• They have their own DNA, which is separate from the DNA in the cell's nucleus, and mutations in mitochondrial DNA can lead to a range of serious health conditions.
• Certain defects might occur impacting the way the mitochondria produce energy for the cells (especially in the ‘energy-hungry’ tissues of the brain, nerves, muscles, kidneys, heart, liver), and thereby impacting cell function.
• The diseases that arise out of such mitochondrial mutations are called mitochondrial diseases.

• Impact: When the mitochondria are impaired and do not produce sufficient energy, it affects how organs function, leading to a broad assortment of symptoms across the body, including brain damage, organ failure and muscle wastage.

What is Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT)?

• MRT is a medical procedure that can replace faulty mitochondria with healthy ones in the cells of an embryo.
• The process of MRT involves transferring the nuclear DNA from the egg or embryo of an affected woman into an egg or embryo from a donor with healthy mitochondria.
• The resulting embryo will contain nuclear DNA from the biological parents and mitochondrial DNA from the donor, aiming to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial disease to future generations while maintaining the biological relationship between the parents and their child.