U.K. sees success in mitochondrial replacement therapy

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

The United Kingdom was the first country to approve a reproductive technique known as Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT).
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) reported that “less than 5” children have been born using the procedure.
HFEA is a fertility regulator in the U.K. that approves In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) based procedures on a case-by-case basis.
In 2022, Australia became the second country to approve the MRT procedure.

About Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT):

It is a new form of reproductive in-vitro fertilization (IVF) which works on the principle of replacing a women’s abnormal mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) with the donor’s healthy one.
People have two types of DNA in their cells, nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both parents and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is inherited only from the mother.
MRT is designed to prevent women who are carriers of mitochondrial diseases from passing on these heritable genetic diseases to their children.

How is MRT carried out?

MRT involves using an egg from an egg donor who doesn’t have mutations.
The nucleus of the egg is removed and replaced with the nuclear DNA from the woman who has mitochondrial DNA mutations.
The egg is then fertilized with the father’s sperm in the embryology lab.
If it grows into an embryo for transfer during IVF treatment, the embryo would be free of mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria:

Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell.
Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical energy “currency” of the cell that powers the cell’s metabolic activities.
Generally, mitochondria, and therefore mitochondrial DNA, are inherited only from the mother.