World’s first baby born to THREE parents
Fears of ‘designer children’ after US scientists hail breakthrough
THE world’s first three-parent baby has been born carrying DNA from his mother, father and a third female donor.
Scientists yesterday revealed the birth of the boy, now five months old, which paves the way for the controversial technique to be used in Britain.
The landmark birth took place under the direction of Dr John Zhang in Mexico, where fertility clinics are largely unregulated, as the procedure would have been illegal in the US.
Critics last night described it as ‘irresponsible’ but supporters said it could end suffering and deaths of children with hereditary diseases as experts said it would give new hope to desperate parents.
A team at Newcastle University has said Britain’s first three-parent baby could be born as early as next year.
The parents of the boy, born on April 6, chose to seek out genetic treatment as they had two children who died of a rare disease, Leigh’s Syndrome.
To correct the defect, Dr Zhang removed the nucleus from one of the mother’s eggs. It was then inserted into an egg cell from another woman, and fertilised using his father’s sperm.
THE world’s first baby has been born using a controversial ‘threeparent’ technique, paving the way for the procedure in Britain.
The boy, who is said to be healthy, carries genes from his mother, father and a third female donor.
Using genetic engineering, his mother’s DNA was combined with the donor’s egg cell to ensure the baby did not suffer from a fatal hereditary disease.
Britain became the first country in the world to give legal approval to the technique last year. Now US doctors have proved it is successful, experts predict this will speed up the likelihood of three-parent babies here, giving hope to desperate parents who carry genetic defects.
However, critics say the technique is effectively ‘playing God’ and could lead to couples creating designer babies.
A team pioneering the treatment at Newcastle University indicated in the summer that they were keen to progress the project. They are understood to be in a position to begin using the technique, raising the prospect that Britain’s first three-parent baby could be born as early as next year.
They say up to 150 women a year in the UK could eventually benefit from the procedure.
The Muslim parents of the baby boy, who was born in April, had two children, aged six and eight months, die of a rare disease
‘Many still think it is unsafe’
called Leigh syndrome. To prevent this happening to a third child, the Jordanian couple approached Dr John Zhang of the New Hope Fertility Centre in New York. Dr Zhang, who studied at Cambridge University, took them to a fertility clinic in Mexico where the sector is largely unregThis ulated, as the procedure would have been illegal in the US.
He admitted he went to Mexico because ‘there are no rules’, but added that he had no regrets. He told New Scientist magazine that ‘to save lives is the ethical thing to do’.
Leigh syndrome is a defect of the mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ of the cell which turn food into energy. To correct the problem, Dr Zhang removed the nucleus from one of the mother’s faulty eggs. was then inserted into a healthy donor egg and fertilised using the father’s sperm. The embryo was then implanted into the mother’s womb.
Tests on the baby show less than 1 per cent of his mitochondria carry the mutation – a level hoped to be too low to cause problems. It is thought defects start at about 18 per cent.
Despite the technique’s UK approval, strict controls remain in force. Scientists wishing to follow in Dr Zhang’s footsteps would first need permission from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Dr David King, director of the watchdog Human Genetics Alert, yesterday branded the US team ‘unethical and irresponsible’.
He added: ‘It is outrageous that they simply ignored the cautious approach of US regulators and went to Mexico, because they think they know better. These scientists have used an experimental technique that many scientists still think is unsafe in order to create a world first.’
But Professor Simon Fishel, of the CARE Fertility Group of clinics, said: ‘This is a devastating disease that we do not wish children to be born with, and what’s more, we would wish to eradicate from any family lineage.
‘Any first-time medical procedure moving from successful animal studies to the human – that will take several years until we understand its impact – is a necessary experimental step forward, which we hope and believe should be totally safe.’ He added: ‘We should proceed with caution and due regulation.’
Professor Darren Griffin, a genetics expert at the University of Kent, said: ‘One case is of course only proof of principle at this stage, however I can see more treatment cycles being performed on both sides of the Atlantic in the near future.’
Dr Dusko Ilic, of King’s College London, said the breakthrough was important but that ‘some questions remain’. He added: ‘Was this the first time ever [that] they performed the technique, or were there other attempts and they are reporting this one because it was successful?
‘It appears to be a good end result. But it risks encouraging others to follow the example ... that could be dangerous as, understandably, impatient people pursue treatment in the very places where regulation is the least strict.’