Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) is a form of assisted reproductive technology designed to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases from mother to child. It involves replacing defective mitochondria in a mother's egg with healthy mitochondria from a donor egg. As a result, babies born from this technique, often referred to as "three-parent babies," inherit nuclear DNA from two parents (the mother and father) and mitochondrial DNA from a third donor.
Some key points regarding MRT and three-parent babies include:
- Health Benefits: MRT can help reduce the risk of mitochondrial diseases, leading to healthier babies for families with a history of such conditions.
- Ethical Considerations: The technique raises ethical questions, including concerns about the implications of genetic manipulation and the long-term effects on the resulting children.
- Regulatory Status: The legality and regulation of MRT varies by country, with some allowing and others prohibiting the procedure.
- Controversial Nature: While the science behind MRT has been studied and developed, it continues to be a topic of debate in both scientific and public spheres regarding its moral and ethical implications.
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