"Three-Person Babies" Have Been Given The Green Light

December 15, 2016

The first "three-person" pregnancies could go ahead as soon as next year, after the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved the use of mitochondrial donation to allow women with mitochondrial disease to have healthy children. The decision follows the recommendation of a panel of experts put together by the HFEA who said the technique should be cautiously put into practice.

Scientists have welcomed the decision. Professor Sir Mark Walport, the government's chief scientific adviser, said in a statement: "The UK leads the world in the development of new medical technologies. This decision demonstrates that, thanks to organisations like the HFEA, we also lead the world in our ability to have a rigorous public debate around their adoption.”

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