Scientists are perfecting methods for creating embryos containing DNA
from three parents. It is thought that
these techniques will help to prevent several rare genetic disorders passed on
through mitochondrial DNA.
Your mitochondria contain a small number of genes and are inherited from
your mother. It is thought that diseases such as muscular dystrophy and some cancers are inherited through these genes.
Scientists have developed techniques for taking chromosomes from a
mother’s egg (which house approximately 99.8% of her DNA) and placing them in a
donor egg from which the chromosomes have been removed but which has healthy
mitochondrial DNA.
See "Three Parent Embryos" for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment