Looking at how preventing mitochondrial diseases comes with an ethical dilemma
Orange County, CA - August 30th 2016 - The Institute for Reproductive Medicine (IRMS) and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Centre in New Jersey began performing cytoplasmic transfer in vitro fertilization (IVF) to women with genetic infertility in 1996 and the first child born through the technique took her first breath in May of 1997. The technique was controversial and due to worries about the long-term effects of creating genetic hybrids, banned by the FDA in 2002, but not before around 30 babies were born out of the technique worldwide.
Without proper study of the technique used, major ethical implications, such as related health problems, still exist. However, some moral conservatives and religious lobbies are condemning the practice for other reasons, calling it ‘playing God’ because these types of in IVF techniques likely pass on genetic material from all three people, mother, father, and donor. Extra cellular material is brought from the donor to help the mother’s egg develop; transferring the donor’s cytoplasm’s mitochondria to replace the mother’s damaged one.
While the breakthrough should have been seen as a scientific advancement, it has critics saying it will turn into designer babies rather than parents being able to have healthy children. About 1,000 to 4,000 children born in the United States each year will be affected by inherited mitochondria gene defects causing long-term ill health, low quality of life and premature death.
17 of the children born from cytoplasmic transfer were born at Saint Barnabas Medical Centre. Those babies are now teenagers and in 2014 the FDA looked at the concept of mitochondrial donation again because of Britain’s similar embryo techniques. The FDA reported two cases of Turner syndrome, and one case of pervasive developmental disorder, but stated that the sample size was too small for reliable conclusions. Also Dr. Jacques Cohen, who discovered cytoplasmic transfer, is adamant that these are coincidences citing that a missing sex chromosome is the single most common anomaly found in early pregnancy.
The IRMS began a follow-up study led by Dr. Serena Chen in 2014, but the investigation is still on-going and not much is known about its results. The United Kingdom’s House of Lords approved legislation to allow the IVF techniques was approved February 3rd, 2015.
