Healthy babies born in Britain after scientists used DNA from three people to avoid genetic disease

Researchers report that eight healthy babies were born with the help of an experimental technique that uses the DNA of three people to help mothers avoid rare diseases to their children. Dangerous mutations in the mitochondria of the cell can cause a range of diseases, some causing a failure and death of major organs. The researchers have developed a technique that takes genetic material from the mother’s egg or embryo, which is then transferred to an egg or a donor embryo which has healthy mitochondria but the rest of its key DNA. Scientists described their results in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.