Mitochondrial replacement therapy has been approved by British scientists and the first baby could be born this year

EARLIER this year, doctors were given the go-ahead to start performing three-parent baby fertility treatments in the UK.

Heres everything you need to know about the controversial treatment

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Mitochondrial replacement therapy, which creates three-parent babies, involves a portion of the childs DNA comingfrom their mother, father and a third person an egg donor.

The technique lets women with genetic diseases to give birth to genetically-related children, without needing to worry about the disease.

During treatment, the embryo receives the usual DNA from the mother and father, as well as a small amount of healthy DNA from a female donor.

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Parts of the cell called mitochondria only hold around 0.1 per cent of a persons DNA, with no influence over individual characteristics such as appearance and personality.

The mitochondria are separate from the DNA in the cell nucleus, where the vast majority of an individuals genes are housed.

But women with mitochondrial disease risk passing serious conditions on to their children in spite of this.

Mitochondrial replacement involves removing these diseased mitochondria from the mother and substituting healthy versions from a donor.

The treatment can prevent babies from developing problems withwith muscle coordination, as well as autism, heart disease, diabetes, and other genetic issues.

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Although recent legislation gave this controversial fertility treatment the go-ahead, there currently arent any three-parent babies in the UK.

The first three-parent babies could be born in this country later this year after the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) granted scientists at the University of Newcastle a licenceto carry out the treatment.

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Scientists at the University of Newcastle, where the therapy was pioneered, submitted an application to the UKs fertility regulatorin December.

It was approved bythe Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), onthe 15th of the same month.

Doctors in Newcastle who developed the advanced form of IVF will now be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs.

They hope to be able to help 25 women each year, and at the earliest thefirst three-parent child could be born by the end of 2017.

Sally Cheshire, HFEA chairperson, said of the licence being granted:Todays historic decision means that parents at very high risk of having a child with life-threatening mitochondrial disease may soon have the chance of a healthy, genetically related child.

This is life-changing for those families.

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Opponents have questioned its ethics and say it paves the way to creating designer babies.

David Clancy, from the faculty of health and medicine at the University of Lancaster, said the technique was currently imperfect.

As many as one in 30 women who receive the treatment could still give birth to a child with an inherited disease, he predicts.

The Roman Catholic Church also opposes the move, pointing out that it would involve the destruction of human embryos as part of the process, while the Church of England has said ethical concerns have not been sufficiently explored.

However,Robert Meadowcroft, head of Muscular Dystrophy UK, described it as a major step towards effective treatment for the 2,500 women in Britain affected.

He said: This pioneering technique could give women with mitochondrial disease the chance to have a healthy child, without the fear of passing on this condition which can lead to babies born with this condition having multiple disabilities and indeed life-limiting impairments.

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What are three-parent babies, is the IVF treatment available on the ... - The Sun