Jonathan Wilhoite Blog: Can Infertility Be Solved? Baby With 3 Genetic Parents

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Can Infertility Be Solved? Baby With 3 Genetic Parents

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A breathtaking discovery involving a baby with three genetic parents had taken place. An infertility doctor has claimed that he has helped facilitate the conception of a baby using the DNA from three adults.

Dr. John Zhang is affiliated with the New Hope Fertility Center in Manhattan. Just this year, he went a long way by travelling to Mexico to do the procedure for the Jordanian couple. It appears that Zhang helped them out because the couple already lost two children to Leigh, a neurological disorder that can be passed on to the offspring.

The main purpose of this procedure is to help families with genetic disorders conceive healthy babies. However, this process has been deemed controversial. Last February, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine gathered a12-member panel and they came up with a plan how to ethically continue this type of research.

When two groups of American scientists asked for FDA’s consent, the administration requested the report. However, even with the report, the Food and Drug Administration claims that Congress had declined the requests to push through with the procedure.

Because of this, the doctor had to go to Mexico.

The birth of the baby made huge waves in the scientific community. It garnered both positive and negative opinions. There are those who strongly believe that this could be beneficial for those women who are suffering from genetic disorders.

Owen K. Davis, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said in a statement, “This work represents an important advancement in reproductive medicine.”

The doctor is going to showcase the facts about the case at the Salt Lake City meeting next month.

There are those who can’t quite agree with the procedure. Some claim that it was not a responsible move because the research associated to the procedure is not enough to prove that it was indeed safe and harmless.

In a correspondence to NPR, Paul Knoepfler wrote, “This is a troubling development on a number of levels.” Knoepfler is a cell biologist at the University of California, Davis. He added, “It could have gone wrong in any number of ways and still could.”

Some are afraid that it could pave way for an even greater dilemma: the designer babies trend. In this case, parents have the option to cherry pick the characteristics of the child.

David King, head of Human Genetics Alert London said in an email, “This is entrepreneurial reproductive technology at its most unethical and irresponsible.” He continued, “When are the world’s governments going to stop rogue scientists crossing crucial ethical lines?”

Dieter Egli from University Medical Center mentioned in his email, “While exciting, there appears to be problems with the study.” He said that there are possibilities of embryo abnormalities found in Zhang’s presentation.

He said, “For a technique pioneered and developed in the U.S., it be fitting to see the benefits to patients here as well.” He added, “Because of funding restrictions to the FDA, promising medical advances are forced to move elsewhere.”

In order to provide a solution for women who carry genetic disorders like the Leigh syndrome, there are numerous procedures developed by scientists to replace the mitochondrial DNA with healthy DNA. Leigh syndrome is one of the mitochondrial disorders that occur because of mitochondrial DNA mutations.

Zhang removed the DNA from the nucleus of the eggs that were donated by women bearing healthy mitochondrial DNA. Take note that the DNA in the nucleus of the eggs is the one responsible for the genetic details that comprise a person. All information related to the person’s being such as the physical attributes.

The doctor removed the nuclear DNA from the eggs of the patient who wanted to bear the healthy child. He then placed the healthy DNA to the donor egg, which is then fertilized with the husband’s sperm.

He made five embryos and only one matured normally. The embryo was then implanted to the woman and it finally gave way to the birth of a healthy boy. The boy is incapable of transferring the transplanted DNA to future offspring because the mitochondrial DNA can only be transferred from women to their children. This fact neatly sidesteps ethical concerns related to the procedure.

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