Image showing an infant. For representational purposes.
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Authorities in the United Kingdom have confirmed a major medical landmark: the birth of eight babies using a pioneering IVF technique that incorporates DNA from three people.
The procedure, known as mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT), is not a step towards 'designer babies' but a targeted medical intervention designed to stop incurable diseases from being passed from mother to child.
The technique tackles devastating conditions passed down through faulty mitochondria—the tiny "powerhouses" found in human cells. To circumvent this, scientists take the nucleus from a mother's egg and implant it into a healthy donor egg whose own nucleus has been removed.
Once fertilized with the father’s sperm, the resulting embryo carries its parents' core DNA. However, it is powered by healthy mitochondria given by the donor, which prevents the genetic passage of incurable diseases at birth.
While the procedure has been dubbed a 'three-parent' technique, it should be noted that the donor's genetic contribution is less than 0.2 per cent and does not influence the child's personal traits like eye or hair color.
Throughout its development, the UK has been at the forefront of this science, becoming the first country to formally legalize the method in 2015. However, each case is strictly regulated and requires approval from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
The confirmation of these births marks significant step in medical science, signaling a fundamental shift from merely treating genetic disease to preventing it at the very start of life.