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The Three Parent Technique to Avoid Mitochondrial Disease in Embryo

Posted in Cell Biology, Developmental biology, Disease Biology, DNA repair, Gene Regulation, Genetics & Innovations in Treatment, Genomic Testing: Methodology for Diagnosis, Innovations, Reproductive Andrology, Embryology, Genomic Endocrinology, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Reproductive Genomics, tagged , , , , , on October 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Reporter and Curator: Dr. Sudipta Saha, Ph.D.

 

Mitochondrial disease

 

Mitochondria are present in almost all human cells, and vary in number from a few tens to many thousands. They generate the majority of a cell’s energy supply which powers every part of our body. Mitochondria have their own separate DNA, which carries just a few genes. All of these genes are involved in energy production but determine no other characteristics. And so, any faults in these genes lead only to problems in energy production. Around 1 in 6500 children is thought to be born with a serious mitochondrial disorder due to faults in mitochondrial DNA.

 

Unlike nuclear genes, mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from our mothers. Mothers can carry abnormal mitochondria and be at risk of passing on serious disease to their children, even if they themselves show only mild or no symptoms. It is for such women who by chance have a high proportion of faulty mitochondrial DNA in their eggs for which the methods of mitochondrial replacement or “donation” have been developed. This technique is also referred as the three parent technique and it involves a couple and a donor.

 

Mitochondrial Donation

 

The most developed techniques, maternal spindle transfer (MST) and pro-nuclear transfer (PNT), are based on an IVF cycle but have additional steps. Other techniques are being developed.

 

In both MST and PNT, nuclear DNA is moved from a patient’s egg or embryo containing unhealthy mitochondria to a donor’s egg or embryo containing healthy mitochondria, from which the donor’s nuclear DNA has been removed.

 

mst

Maternal spindle transfer Bredenoord, A and P. Braude (2010) “Ethics of mitochondrial gene replacement: from bench to bedside” BMJ 341.

 

pnt

Pronuclear transfer Bredenoord, A and P. Braude (2010) “Ethics of mitochondrial gene replacement: from bench to bedside” BMJ 341.

 

Research Carried Out and Safety Issues

 

There have been many experiments conducted using MST and PNT in animals. PNT has been carried out since the mid-1980s in mice. MST has been carried out in a wide range of animals. More recently mice, monkeys and human embryos have been created with the specific aim of developing MST and PNT for avoiding mitochondrial disease.

 

  • There is no evidence to show that mitochondrial donation is unsafe
  • Research is progressing well and the recommended further experiments are expected to confirm this view.

 

The main area of research needed is to observe cells derived from embryos created by MST and PNT, to see how mitochondria behave.

 

Concerns about Mitochondrial Donation

 

The scientific evidence raises some potential concerns about mitochondrial donation. Just as we all have different blood groups, we also have different types of mitochondria, called haplotypes. Some scientists have suggested that if the patient and the mitochondria donor have different mitochondrial haplotypes, there is a theoretical risk that the donor’s mitochondria won’t be able to ‘talk’ properly to the patient’s nuclear DNA, which could cause problems in the embryo and resulting child. So, mitochondria haplotype matching in the process of selecting donors may be done to avoid problems.

 

Another potential concern is that a small amount of unhealthy mitochondrial DNA may be transferred into the donor’s egg along with the mother’s nuclear DNA. Studies carried out on MST and PNT show that some so-called mitochondrial ‘carry-over’ occurs. However, the carry-over is lower than 2% of the mitochondria in the resulting embryo, an amount which is very unlikely to be problematic for the children born.

 

References:

 

http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria/what-is-mitochondrial-disease/

 

http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria/what-is-mitochondrial-disease/new-techniques-to-prevent-mitochondrial-disease/

 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/

 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2108549-exclusive-3-parent-baby-method-already-used-for-infertility/

 

http://www.frontlinegenomics.com/news/7889/ethical-concerns-raised-first-three-parent-ivf-baby/

 

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/2011-04-18_Mitochondria_review_-_final_report.PDF

 

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/Mito-Annex_VIII-science_review_update.pdf

 

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/Third_Mitochondrial_replacement_scientific_review.pdf

 

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2014/02/26/three-parent-baby-making-practice-of-modifying-oocytes-for-use-in-in-vitro-fertilization-fda-hearing/

 

 

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