BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

U.K. advances in mitochondrial replacement therapy

December 16, 2016 12:00 AM UTC

The U.K.'s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it approved the use of mitochondrial donation, including pronuclear transfer or maternal spindle transfer, in certain circumstances. Newcastle University said it will seek HFEA's approval to perform mitochondrial donations for up to 25 women with mitochondrial diseases, in partnership with Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The university said it will be the first to apply.

Last year, the U.K. became the first country to legalize the use of mitochondrial replacement techniques, which involve using healthy donor mitochondrial DNA to replace mutated mitochondrial DNA during IVF. Newcastle said it is also recruiting egg donors, and that a successful study could lead to NHS coverage of replacement therapies (see BioCentury Extra, April 27, 2015)...