Frankenscience or Progress?

[✿Claire✿]

As a mitochondrial scientist and a geneticist, I think this is a brilliant step forward, but what does anybody else think? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-2307...

(UK Government has backed the creation of 3-way IVF to reduce the effect of mitochondrial disease)

[Betsy, co-mod]

Woah! That's interesting. I don't know how I feel about it. My first thought is that so many times we have messed with Mother Nature without knowing all the potential consequences and been profoundly sorry. On the other hand, an awful lot of science and progress, that has been beneficial, could be seen as "messing with Mother Nature". Also, we (especially we non-scientists) sometimes think of "Mother Nature" as a sentient process, which is ridiculous.

[Kenny]

Oh Wow, yes very interesting! I don't see it as an issue since m-DNA is separate anyway. I love it!

[✿Claire✿]

I completely agree with the sentient 'Mother Nature', not sure it's completely ridiculous though, sometimes it feels like Mother Nature's fighting back. From what I've seen of the comments made about this particular progress, I think some of the problem is not enough information. I'm completely against designer babies in the broad sense (for instance picking a child's gender etc) but, having seen the effect mitochondrial mutations can have on patients and families, especially young children, I think this is a good step, if used properly.

If you don't know much about mithochondria, here's a quick overview. They're little bits of the cells responsible for several things including being the main source of energy production in cells (in any organism other than bacteria, they don't have them). Mitochondria have their own DNA which codes for 37 genes, all of which are involved in the energy production process. Mutations in this cause anything from mild symptoms to full blown organ failure and death which lots in between. Because there are thousands of copies of this DNA, it is possible for mutations to go from low copy number and therefore inconsequential, to high copy number and therefore harmful, in one generation. It also means that the genes passed on from the donor mother may be lost within a generation or two, and if the child is male, they will be completely lost as mitochondria are only passed on maternally (as far as most research suggests but that's another story!)

Hope that makes sense!

[Betsy, co-mod]

We read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life as a group last year. It was a very good introduction to mitochondria. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. I also understand there have been some recent discoveries about how mitochondria work. Think I remember seeing something in the feeds from Science Daily.

[✿Claire✿]

I started reading that when I started my MRes but the reading list we were supposed to read for the course was so immense, I didn't get past the introduction! I'm definitely planning to finish it eventually, maybe this summer, glad to know it was a good read though!