Baby with three parents hailed as birth of a new era for fertility
Experts praise world-first event but ethical questions remain over technique used in ‘rule-free’ Mexico
THE world’s first three-parent baby has been hailed as “a huge deal” for the future of reproduction.
Scientists yesterday revealed the birth of a baby boy, now five months old, using DNA from three parents.
Fertility experts described the breakthrough as “great news” for the future of reproduction, but expressed concern that it was only achieved because US scientists crossed over to Mexico to take advantage of lax regulation.
The child was born to a couple from Jordan, who had been trying to start a family for almost 20 years. His mother carries genes for Leigh syndrome, a fatal disorder that affects the developing nervous system, and caused the deaths of their first two children.
The baby was conceived from an egg containing nuclear DNA from his mother and father, and mitochondrial DNA from an unknown “second” mother to replace defective DNA and prevent the disease being passed on through the maternal line.
A pioneering approach called spindle nuclear transfer enabled the break- through birth, which was revealed in New Scientist magazine.
Scientists from the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City led by Dr John Zhang created five embryos using the technique one of which developed normally and was implanted.
The method has not been approved in the US, so Dr Zhang went to Mexico where he said “there are no rules”. Defending his decision, he said: “To save lives is the ethical thing to do”.
Dr Dusko Ilic, a reader in stem cell science at King’s College London, said: “This is great news and a huge deal – it’s revolutionary.” He said the technique was likely to be swiftly copied.
But experts said they were concerned about the lack of regulation in Mexico, and it was crucial that the child’s health was closely monitored.
Last year the House of Lords approved legislation to allow mitochondrial replacement. Those working in the field in Britain have insisted that the technique should only be used to help the estimated one in 4,000 people who are carrying an incurable mitochondrial disease.
But Dr Zhang said the technique could in future be used in “unlimited” ways, including altering a child’s DNA to change their appearance.
Dr David King, director of the watchdog group Human Genetics Alert, described the research as “unethical and irresponsible”.