Medical revolution: Eight babies with three parents born!

Medical revolution: Eight babies with three parents born!

Großbritannien - On July 18, 2025, eight babies were born in Great Britain who own genetic material from three parents. This medical revolution enabled mitochondria replacement therapy to prevent severe genetic diseases developed by research teams from Newcastle University (United Kingdom) and Monash University (Australia). The results of this groundbreaking study were published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine

All eight babies, including four girls and four boys, were born healthy. While five of the babies developed inconspicuously, three smaller health problems had, but are not related to the new procedures. The mitochondria replacement therapy in particular aims to replace defective mitochondrial DNA (MTDNA) of the mother with a healthy MTDNA of a donor. Mitochondria are responsible for energy generation in cells and contain their own genetic material. Mutations in the MTDNA can lead to life -threatening mitochondrial diseases that often affect organs and fabrics with high energy requirements, such as the nervous system and muscles.

legal regulation and ethical debates

The mitochondria replacement therapy was legally approved in Great Britain in 2015, and so far 35 couples have received approval for the application of this technology. Of the 22 women who were offered this method, eight have already born children while another child is still expected. The proportion of the genome, which comes from the biological parents, is over 99 percent, which means that the new technology only intervenes in the part of the inheritance that is potentially disease -causing. In Germany, on the other hand, technology is controversial and has legal concerns within the framework of the embryo protection law, which results in a debate about the admissibility in German law.

Critics of the method express concerns about ethical implications and possible effects on future generations. They warn of unpredictable genetic consequences and demand a thorough examination of the long -term consequences of this new technology. This discussion is led especially in countries such as Austria, where the method is prohibited.

The importance of research

The mitochondrial diseases that are motivation behind this therapy are among the most common hereditary diseases, with an estimated lifetime risk of 68.8: 100,000 (1 of 1,470 newborns). These diseases can occur at any age and often affect neuromuscular health. The diagnosis is typically carried out by a combination of laboratory examinations, imaging methods and molecular genetic methods.

The results of this new technology are promising: The study shows that the children born by mitochondria replacement therapy are healthy and have no signs of mitochondrial diseases. Nevertheless, further studies are required to prove the long -term effectiveness and safety of this therapy. The German legislature could be required to allow the method if the positive results are further confirmed.

Overall, this medical procedure marks significant progress in reproductive medicine and could possibly also result in a re -evaluation of the legal regulations in other countries.

For more information about mitochondrial diseases and their diagnostics, we refer to the article at Ärzteblatt .