(Newswire.net — October 15, 2014) Alicante — Scientists warn that legislation which would allow the creation of babies with genes donated by three different biological parents should be delayed as it is now far riskier than previously thought. MPs are about to vote on whether the United Kingdom becomes the first nation to legalise three parent babies, after a Government watchdog group called HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) gave the go-ahead, after claiming that this IVF technique is simply like changing a battery, and that it would have no real impact on the baby”s core DNA.
More and more scientists and MPs are now suggesting that new research would indicate that the genetic make-up could be affected a lot more than previously thought, and offspring could develop a number of unpredictable physical and mental character traits, saying tests on animals reveal that offspring born using this technique; known as mitochondrial DNA transfer, could also suffer from reduced fertility, shorter lives, learning difficulties and even cancer. The New Scientist, which had initially backed this IVF technique, now say… “It would appear that we could have seriously underestimated the real influence mitochondria have, as current research does suggest they do play a major role in most important features of human life.
A professor evolution, behaviour and development from Sussex University, Dr Edward Morrow, has recognized the latest discoveries as being extremely important, saying… “There is now plenty of data out there which suggests that we do need to be a lot more concerned than the authorities are anyway”. But Stuart Newman, a professor of cell biology and anatomy at the New York Medical College also responded to the findings by saying… “The proposed procedures would pair up the different genes in an arbitrary fashion.”Simplifying the whole procedure he said… “Something similar to make a comparison would be like the engines of a Jaguar and a Rolls-Royce, whereby both cars need an engine, with the engine doing the same thing in each car, but problems would begin if you simply swapped the engines over. It really is quite difficult to anticipate what developmental or physiological problems could result from such a mismatch.”
According to Conservative MP Edward Leigh the new research just illustrates how poorly prepared we really are to start interfering with a human being’s genetic make-up, saying… “Any rush towards legalizing 3 parent babies must be stopped in light of the new findings.”
On the other hand, supporters of the IVF treatment say the benefits are huge and deny being involved in “Frankenscience”. Prof Doug Turnbull, of the Welcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, says that the risks really are minute when compared to risks families face of having a child with serious mitochondrial diseases.” More concrete information about IVF treatment and the risks involved can be seen on the IVF-Spain website here: http://ivf-spain.com
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