Once upon a time, there was a baby who had three parents! Can you believe it? This news caused a lot of excitement around the world.

This special baby got something called mitochondria from a donor, in addition to the DNA from its biological parents. But why did the baby need three parents?

Well, let’s find out!

A Special Technique

• Mitochondria are like tiny powerhouses inside our cells. They generate energy for our body to function properly. Sometimes, these mitochondria can have defects that affect how they produce energy. When this happens, it can lead to something called mitochondrial diseases.
• These diseases can cause all sorts of problems in the body, like brain damage, organ failure, and muscle weakness. They don’t have a cure, but they can be treated.
• In this case, the baby’s mother had a mitochondrial disease that she didn’t want to pass on to her baby. She didn’t want to use a donor egg either because then the baby would have someone else’s genetic material. So, scientists came up with a clever solution!
• Using a special technique called Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT), they took the biological father’s sperm and the mother’s eggs. Then, they removed the genetic material from a donor’s egg and replaced it with the genetic material from the baby’s parents.
• This special egg, with the parents’ DNA and the donor’s mitochondria, was then implanted into the mother’s uterus. And voila! A baby free from the mother’s mitochondrial disease was born.
• This amazing technique was developed and refined by scientists in the UK. The government there even changed the law to allow this procedure. It’s done on a case-by-case basis, and so far, there have been around 30 cases approved. The doctors make sure that everything is safe and that the baby will be healthy.

All is not what it seems

• But like any new procedure, there can be some risks. Sometimes, a small amount of the mother’s faulty mitochondria might still get passed on during the process. That’s why more research and information are needed to make sure everything goes smoothly.
• So, there you have it, a baby with three parents! It’s an incredible scientific achievement that helps families have healthy babies. Science is always finding new ways to make the world a better place, and this is just one example of how amazing it can be!

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