IVF technique using DNA from 3 people spared children from inherited diseases, scientists say – CTV
July 17, 2025
Eight children in the U.K. have been spared from devastating genetic diseases thanks to a new three-person in vitro fertilization technique, scientists from Newcastle University reported on Wednesday.
The technique, which is banned in the United States, transfers pieces from inside the mother’s fertilized egg – its nucleus, plus the nucleus of the father’s sperm – into a healthy egg provided by an anonymous donor.
The procedure prevents the transfer of mutated genes from inside the mother’s mitochondria – the cells’ energy factories – that could cause incurable and potentially fatal disorders.
Mutations in mitochondrial DNA can affect multiple organs, particularly those that require high energy, such as the brain, liver, heart, muscles and kidneys.
One of the eight children is now 2 years old, two are between ages 1 and 2, and five are infants. All were healthy at birth, with blood tests showing no or low levels of mitochondrial gene mutations, the scientists reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. All have made normal developmental progress, they said.
