Fertility treatments are advancing all the time, which is good news for anyone who wishes to conceive but who is unable to do so through conventional means. One area of development concerns the so-called ‘three-person IVF’. Also known as mitochondria replacement, this area of medical research is currently a hot political topic.

The Department of Health has published new draft regulations governing the procedures and, if accepted by parliament, the UK could become the first country in the world to use the technique.

The purpose of mitochondria replacement

Mitochondria replacement can be used to prevent life-threatening conditions known as mitochondrial diseases. While almost all of the genetic material in people’s bodies is carried inside the cell nucleus, which contains 23 chromosomes inherited from mothers and 23 inherited from fathers, there is a small amount of genetic material contained in cell structures called mitochondria. This is used to produce the cell’s energy.

Unlike the rest of DNA, this small amount of genetic material is passed on to children only from the mother, and there are a number of rare diseases caused by gene mutations in the mitochondria. Women who carry these mutations pass them directly to their children.

Three-person IVF aims to prevent these diseases by replacing the mother’s mitochondria with healthy mitochondria from a donor. This helps lead to the creation of a healthy embryo. The reason this technique is causing a stir is that the children will have DNA from three people. While most of their genetic material would come from their mother and father, around one per cent of mitochondrial DNA would come from the donor.

More details

It is thought that around one in 200 children each year are born with some form of mitochondrial disease. Some of these individuals have mild or no symptoms, but others are severely affected. Symptoms can include intestinal disorders, heart disease and muscle weakness. Life expectancies can also be reduced.

Mitochondria replacement would be able to prevent cases like this. However, ethical questions have been raised. For example, some people are concerned about whether the details of the donor should remain anonymous or whether children would have a right to know who their ‘third parent’ is. Worries have also been voiced concerning the potential psychological effects on children if they knew they were born using genetic tissue provided by a donor.

Opponents have also suggested that the treatment would effectively be a ‘slippery slope’, meaning it is impossible to predict how these types of techniques may be used in the future.

Watch this space

The draft regulations are currently under consultation so anyone who is interested in their outcome will have to watch this space for now. The Department of Health has invited individuals and organisations to respond to the proposals. It requests that anyone who does respond state whether they are doing so on behalf of themselves or on behalf of an organisation. In the case of the latter, the Department of Health states that people should make it clear who the organisation represents and, where applicable, how the views of members were collected.