wvwvw
01-28-2014, 10:08 PM
Babies born with tweaked DNA could be in the UK next year
Parliament is poised to vote on whether a new form of IVF treatment, which uses DNA from three parents, will become legally available to couples
The complex technique would replace mitochondrial DNA to avoid destructive cell mutations
Mitochondrial DNA can contain mutations that can lead to epilepsy, diabetes, blindness and other medical problems
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/27/article-2546861-1B0256C100000578-90_306x423.jpg
You’ve heard of GM crops, but GM babies could be born in the UK as soon as next spring.
Parliament is poised to vote on whether a new form of IVF treatment, which uses DNA from three parents, will become legally available to couples, making the prospect of genetically-modified humans imminent.
The procedure is designed to get rid of genetic mutations that can lead to blindness, epilepsy and other medical problems.
If politicians embrace the procedure, the law would be the first to allow pre-birth human DNA modification.
The complex technique will replace mitochondrial DNA to avoid destructive cell mutations if the law is passed by Parliament.
The issue is is expected to be debated before July this year.
Mitochondria convert energy from food into essential ingredients that human cells need in order to function.
Critically, they also carry their own DNA as well as the nuclear DNA in humans’ chromosomes which store most of our genetic information, Forbes reported.
Only mothers pass on mitochondrial DNA to their children, which sometimes contains mutations that can lead to epilepsy, diabetes, blindness and other medical problems.
It is estimated that one in 5,000 to 10,000 women carry mitochondrial DNA with mutations, Nature reported and some even lead to fatal diseases.
However, these problems could help to be avoided using genetic modification techniques.
If the law is passed, scientists will combine mitochondrial DNA from a donor with the nucleus from a potential mother’s egg so that the baby would not suffer from disorders caused by mutations.
This procedure has yet to be tried in humans but researchers have managed to successfully perform the procedure in rhesus monkeys.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2546861/Birth-genetically-modified-HUMAN-Babies-born-tweaked-DNA-UK-year.html#ixzz2rjmg8P00
Parliament is poised to vote on whether a new form of IVF treatment, which uses DNA from three parents, will become legally available to couples
The complex technique would replace mitochondrial DNA to avoid destructive cell mutations
Mitochondrial DNA can contain mutations that can lead to epilepsy, diabetes, blindness and other medical problems
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/27/article-2546861-1B0256C100000578-90_306x423.jpg
You’ve heard of GM crops, but GM babies could be born in the UK as soon as next spring.
Parliament is poised to vote on whether a new form of IVF treatment, which uses DNA from three parents, will become legally available to couples, making the prospect of genetically-modified humans imminent.
The procedure is designed to get rid of genetic mutations that can lead to blindness, epilepsy and other medical problems.
If politicians embrace the procedure, the law would be the first to allow pre-birth human DNA modification.
The complex technique will replace mitochondrial DNA to avoid destructive cell mutations if the law is passed by Parliament.
The issue is is expected to be debated before July this year.
Mitochondria convert energy from food into essential ingredients that human cells need in order to function.
Critically, they also carry their own DNA as well as the nuclear DNA in humans’ chromosomes which store most of our genetic information, Forbes reported.
Only mothers pass on mitochondrial DNA to their children, which sometimes contains mutations that can lead to epilepsy, diabetes, blindness and other medical problems.
It is estimated that one in 5,000 to 10,000 women carry mitochondrial DNA with mutations, Nature reported and some even lead to fatal diseases.
However, these problems could help to be avoided using genetic modification techniques.
If the law is passed, scientists will combine mitochondrial DNA from a donor with the nucleus from a potential mother’s egg so that the baby would not suffer from disorders caused by mutations.
This procedure has yet to be tried in humans but researchers have managed to successfully perform the procedure in rhesus monkeys.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2546861/Birth-genetically-modified-HUMAN-Babies-born-tweaked-DNA-UK-year.html#ixzz2rjmg8P00