Preventing Mitochondrial Disease
This note describes new treatments designed to prevent mothers with mitochondrial disease passing their condition on to their children and looks at the issues raised by their potential use in IVF.
Children and familiesGeneticsHealth education and preventive medicineHealth servicesMedical ethicsResearch and innovation
Briefing
Mitochondria convert biological fuels like sugars and fats into the energy a cell needs. Women with a disease caused by faulty mitochondria pass their condition on to their children. Researchers are developing treatments to prevent this by using healthy mitochondria from a female donor. This note describes these treatments and looks at the issues raised by their potential use in IVF.
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