Science sets sights on designer baby
/Screen capture from Twitter
“Designer” babies are on the way.
Under the process, women in the U.K. will be able to have a mitochondrial donation from the end of this month. And Australia also is considering the process.
This in vitro fertilization operation creates a baby from the genetic material of three people, instead of two. It means a gene with mitochondrial disease is not transferred because the new mixed egg replaces the mutated one. Thus, the process allows mothers to give birth to a baby without debilitating disease.
Many people have criticized the operation, saying it allows people to design babies. This is why it was banned in the U.K. and Australia.
But mitochondrial disease can cause multiple organ problems and potentially death.
For example, one in 200 Australians is expected to have a genetic mutation, which can turn into mitochondrial disease, according to the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Furthermore, around 20 children born in Australia each week could have a mild form of mitochondrial disease and one child a week is at risk of a life-threatening form of it.
Scientists are concerned about the operation’s risks, saying it could take decades to figure out whether a baby born through this process develops properly.