<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A breakthrough three-way IVF treatment in the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/uk" rel="" target="_blank" title="UK"><span>UK</span></a><span> resulted in the birth of eight babies that showed no signs of mitochondrial DNA disease that their mothers were at high risk of passing on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mitochondrial DNA mutations can cause devastating disease in one in 5000 babies born around the world.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The mutations are passed on from mother to child - while male children can be affected, adult males do not pass it on.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-guardian-master-trust-superannuation-lost-asic-investigation-exclusive/7a944ee1-faa0-40c0-8972-011f056c9fee" target="_blank"><strong><span>Christian, JC and Johanna are missing a combined $319k in super. They're not alone</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Harmful mutations in mitochondrial DNA can result in reduced availability of energy, particularly affecting tissues that have high energy demands – for example, the heart, muscle and brain.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There is no cure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the University of Newcastle today </span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2415539" rel="" target="_blank" title="announced the results"><span>announced the results</span></a><span> of a new procedure, which involves transferring a key "nuclear" genome from the fertilised egg carrying a mitochondrial DNA mutation, to a donated egg without a mutation, and that has had its nuclear genome removed.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/babies-born-through-mitochondrial-donation-landmark-breakthrough-genetic-disease-uk/d4a2d43b-66f9-488a-aaa1-a2ff432830a8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-warana-stabbing-entrepreneur-pays-tribute-to-husband-dead-outside-luxury-home/65278dbf-2242-4566-86bb-1dae583d2a57" target="_blank"><strong><span>Two teenagers charged with murder over deadly stabbing</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The nuclear genome contains all the genes essential for a person's individual characteristics, such as, hair colour and height, so the child carried from this procedure thus inherits those characteristics from its birth parents, but without the mitochondrial DNA mutation, due to the use of the donor egg.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The trial saw eight babies, including a pair of identical twins, born to seven women.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All the babies showed either no signs of mitochondrial DNA mutation or very low levels that were unlikely to result in disease.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-says-cocacola-will-use-real-sugar-in-its-us-flagship-drink-the-company-isnt-confirming-that/c4c1a407-ce6e-4900-8872-8103946ff702" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump announces Coca-Cola will change its recipe at his request</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"After years of uncertainty this treatment gave us hope – and then it gave us our baby," one of the mothers said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We look at them now, full of life and possibility, and we're overwhelmed with gratitude. Science gave us a chance."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Australia hopes to follow suit</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 60 babies born in Australia every year will develop mitochondrial disease, including disabling and potentially fatal conditions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And about 120,000 Australians carry disease-causing DNA variants that put them at risk of passing it on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The passage of Maeve's Law in March 2022 allowed the introduction of mitochondrial donation in Australia, and the Medical Research Future Fund in 2023 provided $15 million towards a pilot program.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The mitoHOPE Program's clinical trial will be the first of its kind in Australia to determine the safety and efficacy of mitochondrial donation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to Professor John Carroll, director of Monash's Biomedicine Discovery Institute and head of mitoHOPE, the UK studies should give Australia momentum to follow suit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We hope to soon obtain our first licence from the NHMRC's Embryo Research Licensing Committee, so that we can begin training our IVF embryologists in the procedure using donated eggs," Carroll said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The birth of eight babies with a greatly reduced risk of developing mitochondrial DNA disease provides hope for those waiting to access mitochondrial donation and shines new light on the path toward introducing mitochondrial donation in Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The findings published give grounds for optimism. I look forward to continuing this work at Monash University and I hope that the new treatment can soon become available to Australian families affected by these devastating diseases."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the government was proud to support the research.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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