Jayden Nelson
Biology 1610
March 16, 2017
I chose this article because I work at the Fertility Center in Pleasant Grove. As we face patients with infertility through the different processes of treatment, we also use the process of IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization). This process is used with the 3-Parent Baby procedure. This method is very new with the studies being done. This article doesn't focus completely on the method of the 3-Parent Baby, but mostly with the complications that can follow through with it. The 3-Parent Baby technique is used to prevent mothers from passing on mitochondrial diseases to their children. Further research shows that such diseases can come back and sicken the child, even though 99 percent of the mothers mitochondria is gone.
Mitochondria provide energy needed in every cell to function. When these organelles malfunction the cell cannot do its job properly or do its job all together, which can result in sickness or death. Mothers who carry mitochondria diseases can have little to no symptoms because the levels of the faulty mitochondria are low. Their children however, can inherit a higher level of faulty mitochondria which can lead to sickness and even death. To fix this problem, doctors are taking the "yellow part" of the mothers eggs and inserting that into the "white part" of the donor's egg. That is how it got the name of the 3-Parent Baby. This method was used and resulted into a healthy boy who carries about 1 percent of its mothers mitochondria. Without this method, the boy would have had Leigh Syndrome. Leigh's Syndrome is a neurological disorder fatal in children.
Although this study workers, studies have shown that even though the mothers mitochondria was almost completely removed, it can replicate faster than the donor's. Resulting in the mothers mitochondria to dominate again and possibly bringing the disease with it. As known in infertility some women and men may need the use of donor's. Women need egg donor's due to: low egg quality, poor egg reserve, premature ovarian failure (menopause beginning sooner than expected), low ovarian reserve and history of pregnancy loss. The process of IVF is used to stimulate the ovaries to grow follicles which hold the eggs. We use injection shots such as: Gonal F, Menopur, and Follistim. These injections are used to grow follicles with the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). When the follicles reach a certain measurement we use other injections. These other injections called Cetrotide or ganirelix, are used to block the hormone GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone). This hormone causes eggs to be released from the ovaries resulting in premature ovulation. Once the follicles are mature enough we used a trigger shot to release the follicles at a certain time so we are able to retrieve them and turn them into embryos. Trigger shots include HCG (human Chronic Gonadotropin) and Lupron.
Experts argue that using mitochondria replacement is not yet fully effective on people. And should not be used in clinics. When nuclear and mitochondrial DNA come together they can resolve each other's defects. But when coming from different people, it can create problems. There are roughly 6 billion pairs of DNA in the human genome, and about 16,000 mitochondria. These interactions can be hard to predict. Researchers are concerned for further diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's may develop from the 3-Parent Baby procedure. When you take the parents DNA and combine it with the donor mitochondria DNA, there become gabs that would not be effective if it was only the parents. With that being said other researchers believe that diseases can be avoided by matching parent and donor with the same method organ donors use, which is immune type.
Hopefully in the near future there can be ways this method can become stable and healthy when used. Working in a Fertility Center and being around patients who try and have children and need to result to donor can sometimes be devastated. If this method can be used in a way where it is safe for the new generation more couples would feel more secure about their infertility. Knowing that although a donor egg needed to be used, it still has both parents DNA.
Reference:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ldquo-three-parent-baby-rdquo-procedure-faces-new-hurdle/
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