Triple play

Many people are aware of in vitro fertilizations (IVF) goings on, but what if instead of two parents involved, there are three?  How is such a procedure done, and why would it need to be done?  British scientists have led efforts to find ways to prevent inherited disorders being passed on and causing babies to die or be disabled.  The genetic complications can include blindness, organ failure, muscular disorders, learning disabilities and diabetes. Many babies die as a result of such genetic defects.  In their search they have found that many of the diseases cause by sheer inheritance have been caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, which is found only in the egg of the mother.  Two separate techniques have been explored by scientists, both of which involve mixing the DNA of the parents with a small amount of mitochondrial DNA from a donor egg.  Despite how it may sound, this is not like a three-person IVF.  The amount of information from the donor egg is considered to be tiny compared to that of the parent egg and sperm.  Dr Evan Harris, the former Lib Dem MP who has taken a close interest in embryo research, likened it to "changing the battery on the laptop, but not affecting the information on the hard disk".  The only things that are holding this research back are regulations by the government.  The procedure has been tested in animals, but has not yet been tested within human eggs.

This type of procedure could dramatically reduce the amount of babies born with complications.  With hope, the government will give in and allow such research to continue on, for the sake of future generations.