London, United Kingdom

The first baby was created in the United Kingdom from the DNA of three people using a pioneering IVF procedure. The baby was developed using the process called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT) in which the nucleus is taken from one of the eggs of the mother, which contains her DNA and is implanted into a donor egg. The donor egg's nuclei are removed but its healthy mitochondrial DNA is retained. 

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The process involves the creation of IVF embryos which are free from harmful mutations that are carried by their mothers and are likely to be passed onto their children. Unlike normal DNA,  which contains the genetic information that helps in creating normal humans, mitochondrial DNA contains power for the cell. Researchers have drawn a comparison between the mitochondrial DNA and a battery.

Various scientists insist that the term “three-parent baby” is not accurate because more than 98.8 per cent of the child's DNA still comes from two people.

A green light was given by the UK parliament to the procedure in 2015 and requests for its use were considered by the regulatory body called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). 

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The first “three-parent child” of Britain was found in a Freedom of Information request made to the HFEA. As per reports, the clinic said that few babies have been born using MDT in the UK. 

The details of the babies who have been created using the MDT programme are not released by doctors amid concerns that the confidentiality of the patient can be compromised through specific information.  

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The HFEA has stated that "less than five" babies were born as of 20 April 2023 using the technology. However, HFEA refused to provide precise numbers to protect the identities of the families. The details were published by The Guardian. 

"News that a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK is the next step, in what will probably remain a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation," stated Sarah Norcross, the director of the Progress Educational Trust.

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Meanwhile, Francis Crick Research Institute's Prof Robin Lovell-Badge said, "It will be interesting to know how well the mitochondrial replacement therapy technique worked at a practical level, whether the babies are free of mitochondrial disease, and whether there is any risk of them developing problems later in life."

Britain is not the first nation where children have been born through MDT. In 2016, the same procedure was used for a child who was created in Mexico. 

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