Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Disease at Newcastle University report the first in-depth analysis of human embryos created using a new technique designed to reduce the risk of mothers passing on mitochondrial disease to their children, which is debilitating and often life-limiting. The new technique, called “early pronuclear transfer”, involves transplanting the nuclear DNA from a fertilised egg into a donated egg, which contains healthy mitochondria, on the day of fertilisation. Researchers, in a study involving over 500 eggs from 64 donor women, published results that indicate that the new procedure does not adversely affect human development and will greatly reduce the level of faulty mitochondria in the embryo. Their results suggest that the technique will lead to normal pregnancies whilst also reducing the risk of babies having mitochondrial disease. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/news/2016/06/safetyandefficacyevidenceformitodonation/ Paper: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature18303.html
