Over the past few years, scientists in Newcastle have been developing techniques that would allow them to prevent mothers who risk them passing on certain mitochondrial genetic disease from passing on to their children 11 . Two techniques were proposed and the effectiveness of both measures is still under evaluation and review. The first method, which is the maternal spindle technique (MST), involves transferring the genetic material from the mother’s egg into the donor’s egg, which its nuclear genetic material has been removed 12 .
13 The second method, which is the pronuclear transfer technique (PNT) involves extracting the pronuclei (before the sperm and the egg cell fuse) but leaving the faulty mitochondria behind. The extracted pronuclei will replace the fertilized egg of the donor, whose pronuclei was removed. This new fertilized egg contains the DNA of the father and mother, and the mitochondria from the donor.
14 Overall, PNT appeared more efficient than MST due to the uncertainty in transferring all the maternal chromosomes to the donor’s egg 15 . Over the past three years, a scientific panel, including members from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) has been reviewing the safety and efficacy of mitochondrial donation to avoid mitochondrial disorder through assisted
11 Welcome Trust, 2010 12 Human Fertilization Embryology Authority (HFEA), 2014, p.14 13 Gallagher, 2014b 14 Ibid. 15 HFEA, op. cit., p.18
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