Three-person IVF trial shows encouraging results

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Health journal, Nature has published the results of two controversial IVF trials which show that three person IVF could be possible.

But while the process has been successful in monkeys (they have remained fit, well and have grown to an age of three) it is still a “long way off human use”.

The purpose of the IVF trials was to test the hypothesis that debilitating mitochondrial diseases that pass from mother to child can be prevented. The trials were conducted by The Oregon Health Team in the US and Newcastle University in the UK.

The American team tested this theory using a technique to grow human embryos that cancelled out DNA errors using a mix of three adult donors - two female, one male. This involves taking core genetic information from a mother and father, removing ‘junk’ mitochondria and transferring it to a third donor egg with healthy mitochondria.

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Despite the promising results, half of the fertilization rates across the test groups showed some abnormalities. Dr Masahito Tachibana and colleagues from the Oregan Health team say that while research shows that the technique can work in the lab, it is still not clear if it could lead to a healthy baby.

In the UK, the Newcastle University team tested the same theory using a different technique which takes the nucleus out of an already fertilised egg. UK expert Prof Mary Herbert, of Newcastle University, argued that the technique she uses provides better results than her US counterparts.

However, the theory isn’t as easy as it sounds. Prof Peter Braude, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, King's College London, said it was still a long way off ready for human use and only one in five of the original eggs that fertilised normally made it through to the implantation stage.

"This would mean that in order to be certain of getting embryos that might be suitable for transfer, around 12 eggs might be needed, not always possible in an IVF procedure."

For more information, see BBC Health

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