The two women are said to have a rare mitochondrial disease called myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibres (MERRF syndrome), a condition that could prove fatal if passed onto their offspring.
The three-person baby procedure is an advanced form of IVF that uses the mother’s egg, the father’s sperm and a donor egg from a third person who has healthy mitochondria. Since mitochondria have their own DNA, the resulting child inherits DNA from all three people, but everything that defines personality and physicality still comes from the mother and father.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved the decision, saying there was a “considerable risk” that the women could pass on the fatal disease to any children they had. This HFEA approval is required before any clinic can carry out the procedure, which, in this case will take place at the Newcastle Fertility Center.
Director of the Progress Educational Trust, Sarah Norcross, referred to the HFEA’s approval as the latest milestone in seeking to help parents avoid passing on mitochondrial disease to their children.