{"id":48566,"date":"2025-07-18T21:36:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T16:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=48566"},"modified":"2025-07-19T15:16:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:46:22","slug":"mitochondrial-replacement-therapy-mrt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-07-2025\/mitochondrial-replacement-therapy-mrt","title":{"rendered":"Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an <strong>experimental technique called Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The mothers were all at <strong>high risk for passing on life-threatening diseases<\/strong> to their babies due to <strong>mutations in their mitochondria.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The four boys and four girls were born to seven women and have <strong>no signs of the mitochondrial diseases <\/strong>they were at risk of inheriting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The UK became the<strong> first country<\/strong> to approve the use of mitochondrial donation in 2015.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The procedure is not yet permitted in India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mitochondrial Genes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mitochondria:<\/strong> The human genes are curled up in the <strong>nucleus<\/strong> of nearly every cell in the body.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>fluid surrounding the nucleus<\/strong> contains <strong>hundreds to thousands of mitochondria<\/strong> that carry their <strong>own set of 37 genes<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The mitochondria are <strong>membrane-bound organelles<\/strong> often referred to as the <strong>&#8220;powerhouses of the cell&#8221;<\/strong> because they play a crucial role in producing energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eae0dd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"981\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria-1024x981.png\" alt=\"mitochondria\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-48567\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eae0dd; width:418px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria-1024x981.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria-300x287.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria-768x736.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria-1536x1472.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mitochondria.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People inherit all their mitochondria from their<strong> biological mother,<\/strong> mutations can affect all the children a woman has.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mutations in these genes <\/strong>can impair or completely disable mitochondria with catastrophic effects.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The first symptoms of mitochondrial disease <strong>tend to appear in early childhood <\/strong>as energy-hungry organs such as the brain, heart and muscles start to fail.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many affected children have developmental delays, require wheelchairs and die young. About one in 5,000 newborns are affected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A three-parent baby<\/strong> is produced from the genetic material of one man and two women through<strong> mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) and three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aim:<\/strong> To<strong> prevent children from inheriting mutated mitochondria.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Procedure: <\/strong>It involves<strong> fertilising the mother\u2019s egg with the father\u2019s sperm<\/strong> and then <strong>transferring the genetic material<\/strong> from the nucleus into a fertilised healthy donor egg that has had its own nucleus removed.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This creates a <strong>fertilised egg with a full set of chromosomes<\/strong> from the parents, but healthy mitochondria from the donor.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The egg is then implanted into the womb to establish a pregnancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eff1ee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"633\" height=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-mitochondrial-donation-therapy-works.webp\" alt=\"how mitochondrial donation therapy works\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-48568\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eff1ee; width:543px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-mitochondrial-donation-therapy-works.webp 633w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-mitochondrial-donation-therapy-works-300x147.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"212c31\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/embryo-created-by-mitochondrial-donation.png\" alt=\"embryo created by mitochondrial donation\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-48569\" style=\"--dominant-color: #212c31; width:496px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/embryo-created-by-mitochondrial-donation.png 1000w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/embryo-created-by-mitochondrial-donation-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/embryo-created-by-mitochondrial-donation-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/embryo-created-by-mitochondrial-donation-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These babies carry<strong> nuclear DNA from their biological mother and father, and a small portion of mitochondrial DNA<\/strong> from a female donor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scientists around the world are closely watching the UK\u2019s results.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many believe that with careful regulation, MDT could become a routine option for families at risk, helping to stop certain genetic diseases before they begin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/news\/trends\/medical-breakthrough-in-uk-babies-born-after-ivf-using-dna-from-three-people-11752750527061.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>LM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique called Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT).<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The mothers were all at high risk for passing on life-threatening diseases to their babies due to mutations in their mitochondria.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The four boys and four girls were born to seven women and have no signs of the mitochondrial diseases they were at risk of inheriting.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The UK became the first country to approve the use of mitochondrial donation in 2015.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The procedure is not yet permitted in India.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-07-2025\/mitochondrial-replacement-therapy-mrt\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48566"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48635,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48566\/revisions\/48635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}