A new medical technique that would put an end to mitochondrial disease in babies might come to fruition in two years, British researchers said this week. The technique would involve not two parents, but three, with genetic material from two women and one man.
The procedure targets issues in the mitochondria, whose mutation-prone genome is passed down through the mother. Between 1,000 to 4,000 children are born in the United States every year with mitochondrial disease, which can cause muscle, kidney, and heart problems. A human fertilization panel in Britain has been reviewing different treatment methods where parents contribute the nuclear DNA and a donor provides the mitochondrial DNA.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A sea of kites, a game of sand hockey, and more
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thrillerThe Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
-
The Masters: Rory McIlroy finally banishes his demonsIn the Spotlight McIlroy's grand slam triumph will go down as 'one of the greatest and most courageous victories in the history of golf'
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant worldSpeed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocketSpeed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brainSpeed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggestsSpeed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening
-
Pharaoh's tomb discovered for first time in 100 yearsSpeed Read This is the first burial chamber of a pharaoh unearthed since Tutankhamun in 1922
-
Scientists report optimal method to boil an eggSpeed Read It takes two temperatures of water to achieve and no fancy gadgets
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energySpeed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
