Myth Replacement Therapy: MPs Debate the Science of Mitochondria

The regulatory path to clinical trials of mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) was recently debated in the House of Commons. MRT is under development in the UK as way of potentially eliminating mitochondrial disease. The techniques essentially swap diseased mitochondria in the unfertilised or fertilised eggs of affected women for putatively healthy ones obtained from a donor. The outcome is unknown and evidence from animals suggest mismatching may occur between the nuclear DNA from the mother and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) derived from the donor (1). The debate was called by a group of backbenchers that are unhappy about the pace with which the Government is apparently moving towards changing the regulations. The split in views in the chamber was fairly even.

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