3-Parent Embryos

Summary:
U.S. Health officials are considering allowing a trial of using 3 people's DNA to create a embryo. The reason for a 3 parent embryo is mitochondrial disorder. Some of the illnesses caused by mitochondrial disorders are muscular dystrophy and respiratory problems. The mitochondria is the power house of the cell, and if there are problems in it they chances of having medical problems increases. Mitochondrial disorders are inherited from the mother. When a egg is fertilized the embryo gets the fathers DNA, the mothers DNA, and the mothers mitochondrial DNA. The trial would take the parents nuclear DNA, and a donors mitochondrial DNA and insert it into the women's egg. Britain became the first country to start allowing this techniques since 1 out of every 6,500 babies born in the United Kingdom are born with a mitochondrial disorders. Some people have doubts though, they feel that if we start engineering babies we will not stop until we have created the perfect baby. Scientist say that will not happen. They also say the risk for this trial is very small, and the rewards are very large. A FDA, Food and Drug Administration, administrative panel reviewed the trial over 2 days. They disused the controls,how to monitory the embryos during their growth, and who would oversee the trials. No decisions were made.

Connection:
This connects to our biology class because it touches on the units of cells, heredity, molecular genetics, and evolution. It connects to cells because the reason behind mitochondrial disorders it abnormalities in the mitochondria. It connects to heredity because mitochondrial disorders are passed on from the mother. It also connects to molecular genetics because the whole point of the trail is too try and alter genes on a molecular level. It also connects to evolution because if the trail goes through it would be a form of human induced evolution. It also connects to when we have discussed genetically modified organisms. The embryo would be a genetically modified organism. But like we discussed in class there are some who think that it is a bad idea and others who think it is a good idea. That is why the trials have not began, because of the controversy. It all comes down to whether the human race thinks it is a good idea or a bad one.

Source:
Matt Smith
February 27, 2014

http://us.cnn.com/2014/02/26/health/ivf-mitochondria/?iref=obinsite