While still technically illegal in the UK, a new study from the Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has found that the British public has mostly no objection to the idea of an embryo being formed from the DNA of three people, to prevent the passage of certain genetic disorders.
The study, done at the request of the British government, found widespread public support for a method of in vitro fertilization which uses trace amounts of DNA from one woman to replace damaged portions of DNA in the original mother’s egg.
The report also claimed to have found no evidence that such a practice is dangerous, while acknowledging that more research needed to be done on the matter before anything too drastic changed.
The process in question involves replacing the genetic information governing the mitochondria in the cells. The mitochondria generate most of the energy that a cell uses to function. So when they don’t work right, it causes serious problems for the body those cells are a part of. And those flaws can be passed on genetically, which is why scientists in 2008 discovered how to prevent these problems from being passed on, by the process that was the focus of the study.
Currently, any sort of genetic modification of an embryo or zygote is illegal in British law. It is still done, but only in a research setting, and not for actual baby-making.
This study could be the first step in turning that policy around, though.
Now that the government-ordered study is published, the issue heads to Parliament, who will debate the necessity of a change.
Critics of the procedure hope nothing changes, claiming the same effect can be achieved without the need to dabble in the ethical gray area of genetic modification of human children.
"Although some people have concerns about the safety of these techniques, we found that they trust the scientific experts and the regulator to know when it is appropriate to make them available to patients," Lisa Jardine, chair of the group, said in a statement Wednesday.
