The 10 Most Advanced IVF and Fertility Centers 2018 The Most Advanced IVF And Fertility centres 2018 | Page 32

uterus. In this way one can ensure a healthy life for the new born and can also reduce the probability of miscarriage,
significantly.
Three Parent IVF or Pronuclear Transfer
Mitochondria are small organelles that sit inside our cells and provide vital energy to it. Mitochondria also play a vital role in
the respiratory process. But when this significant organelle of our body gets defected, it invites a plethora of life-threatening
diseases.
A recent study revealed that many children every year are born with faulty mitochondrial DNA, caused by mutations in them
that affect mitochondrial
function. Its symptoms
includes: heart disease, liver
disease, kidney disease, poor
growth, loss of muscle
coordination, muscle
weakness, neurological
problems, autonomic
dysfunction, and dementia.
Mitochondrial disorder
becomes worse when the
faulty mitochondria present
in the muscles, cerebrum, or
nerves as these vital parts of
our body require more
energy as compared to other
parts. Mitochondrial diseases
strike early in childhood and
get worse steadily and even
prove fatal before adulthood.
Mitochondria replacement
therapy is a controversial but
effective technique, which can be used to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases from mother to child. This
procedure is used in cases when mothers contain genes affected with mitochondrial diseases.
Mitochondrial donation, also known as three parents IVF, is said to be the solution for the problem mentioned above. In this
method, a third party donor, apart from the father and mother, gets involved in this well-known IVF process. The donor’s
healthy mitochondria are used and the nuclear DNA from the third party is removed and replaced with DNA from the both.
Many would think that when a third party gets involved in the fertility process then it may also claim some right over the
child. The answer is NO. The third party donor does not have any right over the child and his/her identity is always kept as a
secret. Third party donor is not even involved in the upbringing of the child. Even if we talk on genetic level, all of the
20,000 genes on the child’s 23 pairs of chromosomes come from the child’s original mother and father. The donor’s
contribution here remains miniscule- less than 0.2% of the total that too in the DNA that concentrated in the mitochondria.
Recently, a 34-year-old Ukrainian mother has been gifted with a healthy child with this IVF procedure, which is also
sometimes known as pronuclear transfer.
Although, these techniques are gaining popularity due to their effectiveness and many countries have even made these
processes legal, but still these techniques have to test the waters concerning its broader acceptability. Only time will tell how
far these techniques will impact both- in the domain of healthcare, especially IVF, and in the hearts of infertile couples
struggling with genetic disorders. It will be very interesting to watch what the future holds for these intriguing techniques!
30 | October 2018 |