- Author: GREAT MASTER VIKRANT ROHIN
- Date: MAY 3, 2023
BABY WITH NO GENETIC DISEASES
The child has the DNAs of three people, the parents, and another woman.
The technique used was “a novel type of in vitro fertilization (IVF)” with which any mitochondrial diseases will be prevented in the child.
Mitochondrial Machinery That Mediates and Regulates Immune Responses in Critical Illness. Apart from being the powerhouse of the cell, the mitochondrion has emerged as a signaling hub that shapes and modulates how the immune system responds to infection or trauma
Where do mitochondrial diseases create the most damage? Mitochondrial disorders appear to cause the most damage to the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, and kidneys — which are the tissues with the highest demands for energy. The clinical features of mitochondrial disorders can involve only one organ or almost any combination of organ systems.
Why mitochondrial genetic disorders are transmitted by mother only? Since sperm have no mitochondria, inheritance is purely maternal through the mtDNA contained in the mitochondria of the ovum.
Unlike nuclear DNA, which is passed down from both the mother and the father. Mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA, however, is derived almost exclusively from the woman or mother as the egg of a (traditionally) female contains lots of mtDNA while sperm contains just a tiny bit of mitochondria. Hence, mtDNA is matrilineal.
This does not mean that mother is the root of all evil.
A baby born without any genetic disease is not a rare phenomenon but what if we told you that in the UK, a baby was born recently and will never have any genetic disease in the future? And in fact, the baby will also not witness any harmful genetic mutation in his body.
As per reports, the baby is being called the first “Super Baby” of the UK because the child was born from the DNA of three people, the parents and another woman. The technique used was “a novel type of in vitro fertilization (IVF)” with which any mitochondrial diseases will be prevented in the child, as per a BBC report. In this method, tissues are taken from the eggs of a healthy woman and then IVF embryos are made from these. The embryos possess a remarkable attribute— they are devoid of any detrimental mutations that a mother may transmit to her offspring. Then, the developing embryo residing within the mother’s womb is shielded entirely from inheriting any genetic disorders associated with the woman’s genetic makeup. If there is any disease in the mother’s body, then it will not go to the child, the report added.
According to scientists, this is the most successful way to protect newborn children from genetic diseases. It is a modified form of the IVF technique, also called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT). Mitochondria, the powerhouse of any cell, of biological parents’ sperm and egg are mixed in the embryo. Whatever harmful mutations happen, they get stored in the mitochondria.
