Three-parent DNA technique helps UK babies prevent genetic disorder
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In a groundbreaking medical first, healthy babies have been born in Britain using DNA from three individuals. The technique combines genetic material from two parents with a small portion of DNA from a donor to prevent the transmission of serious mitochondrial diseases. This advancement offers new hope for families at risk of passing on these rare but devastating conditions.
Source
Hyslop LA, Blakely EL, Aushev M, Marley J, Takeda Y, Pyle A, Moody E, Feeney C, Dutton J, Shaw C, Smith SJ, Craig K, Alston CL, Lister L, Endacott K, Byerley S, McDermott H, Wilson K, Botham L, Matthew B, Prathalingam N, Prior M, Murdoch A, Turnbull DM, Hudson G, Choudhary M, Taylor RW, Pillai RN, Stewart JA, McFarland R, Herbert M. Mitochondrial Donation and Preimplantation Genetic Testing for mtDNA Disease. N Engl J Med. 2025 Jul 31;393(5):438-449. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2415539. Epub 2025 Jul 16. PMID: 40673696; PMCID: PMC7617940.
Additional Reading
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/16/health/britain-three-person-dna-birth
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8179z199vo
https://www.yahoo.com/news/healthy-babies-born-britain-scientists-210048207.html