Mitochondrial replacement techniques and Mexico

The birth of the the first child after a mitochondrial replacement technique has raised questions about the legality of such procedure. In this post we explore some of the legal issues surrounding this case.

Mitochondria are cellular organelles that generate the energy cells need to work properly. Two interesting features of mitochondria are that they are solely inherited via the maternal line and that they possess their own DNA. This means that in human cells there is the nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA, with its 37 genes, accounts for 0.1% of the total human DNA. Disorders caused by mitochondria not working properly have been named ‘mitochondrial diseases’. Mitochondrial diseases, as stated by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, “can be caused by either problems in the genes in the nucleus affecting mitochondrial function, or by problems in genes within the mitochondria themselves”.

Scientists have recently devised two techniques that would allow women affected by mitochondrial DNA diseases to have genetically related children free from disease. These techniques have been called mitochondrial replacement technique (MRTs), although some...