May 21 2008 / by Bora
Category: Biotechnology Year: 2008 Month: Feb Rating: 13 Hot
This past Mother’s Day, it occurred to me that the meaning
of parenthood is constantly evolving. While social trends, such as
increasing divorce rates and rising numbers of same-sex marriages
are major contributing factors, science is adding another layer to
the evermore complex meaning of the modern family. A good example
of this stems from the latest developments in genetic manipulation
and assisted reproductive technology.
In a recent report, a British team of researchers at Newcastle
University announced that they have created a
human embryo conceived from three parents, in which the nuclear
DNA is inherited from the mother and the
father but the mitochondrial DNA is
inherited from a third party. The three-parent embryo was created
in an effort to prevent genetic diseases associated with defective
maternal mitochondrial DNA. (cont.)
It is reported that 1,000-4,000 children are born each year with
some type of
mitochondrial diseases, which can affect cells of various vital
organs, including the brain, nerves, muscle, kidney, and liver. In
many cases, mitochondrial diseases are genetically inherited,
specifically from the mother. By developing a technique in which
the nuclear DNA of the fertilized embryo
is inserted into an enucleated donor egg, the researchers
essentially performed a mitochondrial transplant, providing the
embryo with a more viable mitochondrial DNA. The researchers report that the three-parent
baby is yet to be born but foresee that this procedure will be
available as a treatment option in the next 3–5 years.
Combined with the rising number of cases of surrogate motherhood,
brought on by improvements in safety and technique, the rapidly
developing fields of genetic manipulation and assisted reproductive
technology together are pushing the boundaries of the traditional
sense of family and transforming the idea of parenthood. So we can
be sure that in 10 years, some of us will have more Mother’s Day
celebrations to attend than others.
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