3 Person baby

The world’s first baby has been born using a new “three person” fertility technique.

22:57 28 September 2016

The world’s first “three person” baby has been born, New Scientist has revealed. The boy has the usual DNA from his parents plus a tiny bit of genetic code from a donor ensuring that he would be free of a genetic condition that his Jordanian mother carries in her genes.

 

Prior to the conception of the “three person baby”, the Jordanian family has suffered four miscarriages and deaths of two children – one at eight months and the other at six years of age - due to a disorder called Leigh Syndrome. It is a severe neurological disorder that affects one in 40,000 newborn babies.

 

The US team who carried the procedure travelled to Mexico as there are no laws in the country that prohibits the procedure. The team used a method that takes all vital DNA from the mother’s egg plus healthy mitochondria from a donor egg to create a healthy new egg. The new egg is then fertilised with the father’s sperm.

 

Although the procedure is considered a breakthrough by many, it is criticised by others.

 

Dr David King from the pro-choice group Human Genetics Alert, said: "It is outrageous that they simply ignored the cautious approach of US regulators and went to Mexico, because they think they know better. Since when is a simplistic "to save lives is the ethical thing to do" a balanced medical ethics approach, especially when no lives were being saved?"