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VOLUME 1 , ISSUE 2 ( July-December, 2017 ) > List of Articles

MEDICAL ETHICS, LAW AND SOCIETY

Recent Advancement in Human Reproduction Three-parent Babies: A Technique to Neutralize Mitochondrial Disease Load—A Boon or a Bane for Society?

Madhu Nagpal, Simranpreet Kaur

Keywords : Bioethical issues, Germline genetic modification, Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid, Mitochondrial replacement therapy, Three-parent in vitro fertilization

Citation Information : Nagpal M, Kaur S. Recent Advancement in Human Reproduction Three-parent Babies: A Technique to Neutralize Mitochondrial Disease Load—A Boon or a Bane for Society?. Curr Trends Diagn Treat 2017; 1 (2):100-103.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10055-0024

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-05-2019

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2017; The Author(s).


Abstract

Three-parent baby technique is the latest tool in preventive methods for mitochondrial diseases. It uses the mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replacement therapy (MRT) to get rid of defective mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The MRT has been made possible by pronuclear transfer and maternal spindle transfer (MST). This shall take away the need of surrogacy and adoption, if practiced with certainty. The MRT replaces defective mtDNA, but its close functioning with the individual's nuclear DNA (nDNA) makes the whole process complicated. This article provides a summarized understanding of the biological mechanisms involved in MRT and the need to consider three-parent in vitro fertilization (IVF). It also discusses the bioethical issues of the technique considering its future implications and whether it is a boon or a bane for our society and subsequent generations.


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