Although mitochondrial transfer gained popularity recently, it has, in fact, a research history of more than two decades and numerous studies are published on this issue. Mitochondrial replacement therapy, also called mitochondrial donation, was initially introduced to prevent transmission of mitochondrial diseases, but it was latter suggested to be used for enhancing the quality of egg.

Mitochondrium is one of the most important organelles that can be defined as energy generator of cells. An egg should be energetic enough for fertilization of egg by sperm, formation of healthy embryo and continuum of cell division or in other words, healthy mitochondria are required for all these processes. Advanced maternal age is, unfortunately, associated with poor quality of oocyte and decline in number of healthy mitochondria. Therefore, rate of healthy embryo decreases and a certain chromosomal anomaly, called aneuploidy, becomes more prevalent.

What Does the World of Science Say?

Mitochondrial transfer is performed to enhance quality of oocyte; mitochondria or cytoplasm (intracellular fluid) of a young woman are transferred into cells of an older woman. Here, one of the potential problems arises out of the fact that mitochondrium has its native DNA. DNA of a cell is located in nucleus under normal circumstances, but on the contrary to other organelles, mitochondrium has its native DNA. Therefore, babies given birth with this method are called “baby with three parents”. In fact, DNA content of a cell is located in nucleus approximately by 99 percent, while only one percent is found in mitochondrium. Even so, presence of a third person’s mitochondrial DNA secondary to mitochondrial transfer is referred to as heteroplasmy that provoked a high-index uncertainty in scientific community, as its long-term results are not known.

In Experimental Stage

Inheritance of genetic material from a third person paved the way for biological, ethical and legal debates. Medical community reacted negatively to popularity of this method before its long-term safety is revealed out and therefore, it is banned in some countries. Mitochondrial transfer from a third person is not legal in our country and the U.S. However, autologous mitochondrial transfer that implies transfer of mitochondrium from native cells to the oocyte does not use DNA of a third parent and therefore, it is a novel field that is currently experimental, but there is no ethical or legal barrier against it.