Mitochondrial Replacement Theory

Learn about Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT), a groundbreaking technique that prevents the transmission of mitochondrial diseases by using DNA from three individuals. Recently, eight healthy babies were born in the UK using this method, offering hope for families affected by inherited mitochondrial disorders.

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Context

  • Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique called Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT).

About

  • The mothers were all at high risk for passing on life-threatening diseases to their babies due to mutations in their mitochondria.
  • The four boys and four girls were born to seven women and have no signs of the mitochondrial diseases they were at risk of inheriting.
  • The UK became the first country to approve the use of mitochondrial donation in 2015.
  • The procedure is not yet permitted in India.

About Mitochondria

  • Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
  • Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell.
  • Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  ATP is the chemical energy “currency” of the cell that powers the cell’s metabolic activities.

About Mitochondrial Genes

  • The fluid surrounding the nucleus contains hundreds to thousands of mitochondria that carry their own set of 37 genes. 
  • People inherit all their mitochondria from their biological mother, mutations can affect all the children a woman has.
  • Mutations in these genes can impair or completely disable mitochondria with catastrophic effects.
  • The first symptoms of mitochondrial disease tend to appear in early childhood as energy-hungry organs such as the brain, heart and muscles start to fail. 

About Mitochondrial Donation Treatment

  • A three-parent baby is produced from the genetic material of one man and two women through mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) and three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF).
  • Aim: To prevent children from inheriting mutated mitochondria. 
  • Procedure: It involves fertilising the mother’s egg with the father’s sperm and then transferring the genetic material from the nucleus into a fertilised healthy donor egg that has had its own nucleus removed.
    • This creates a fertilised egg with a full set of chromosomes from the parents, but healthy mitochondria from the donor. 
    • The egg is then implanted into the womb to establish a pregnancy.

Conclusion

  • Even though research in mitochondrial donation treatment is still in its infancy, mitochondrial donation is a blessing for the vast majority of people who suffer from mitochondrial disorders for whom there is no known solution.


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