The monkeys that prove babies can be born to THREE parents...

and may be the key to halting genetic illness

By David Derbyshire Scientists have produced four baby monkeys who each have three biological parents. They used an IVF procedure designed to stop the spread of incurable inherited diseases. Scientists believe the breakthrough could lead to the first geneticallyengineered children within a few years.

Revolutionary: T ins !ito and Tracker are t o of the "onkeys ho ere born using an IVF techni#ue that creates babies ith three biological parents. They ere na"ed after a dye called !itotracker used in the procedure It has provoked an ethical storm, however. ritics say it is a step towards an era of hybrid children and warn that it erodes the sanctity of life. The techni#ue is intended to help o"en ho carry genetic diseases. It involves transferring healthy D$% fro" the "other&s egg cell into an egg donated by another o"an. 'hildren conceived by the techni#ue ould inherit D$% fro" three sources ( their "other) the donor and their father. The %"erican tea" ho produced the "aca#ue "onkeys ( na"ed !ito) Tracker) Spindler and Spindy ( say the techni#ue could be used to eradicate potentially fatal for"s of inherited epilepsy) blindness and heart disease. The diseases) hich affect so"e *+, -. babies a year) are caused by "utations in the "itochondrial D$% hich is passed do n fro" "others to children. !itochondria are sausage( shaped &po er packs& that float around inside cells) converting food into energy that the body can use. /ach contains a tiny strand of D$%) carrying 0ust 12 of the 3,),,, or so hu"an genes. The rest are in the D$% in the cell&s nucleus.

!itochondrial D$% can only be passed on via "others& eggs) not through sper". Doctors have identified around +, diseases caused by "utations of this D$% ( so"e of hich kill before adulthood. Sy"pto"s include "uscle eakness) de"entia) blindness) hearing loss and heart and kidney proble"s. The -.S. e4peri"ent) reported today in the 0ournal $ature) involved researchers at the 5regon $ational 6ri"ate Research 'entre. They took an egg cell fro" a "other carrying a "itochondrial disease and re"oved its nuclear D$%. This as then transferred into a second) healthy egg) hose o n nuclear D$% had been re"oved. The resulting &hybrid& eggs contained nuclear D$% fro" the "other and fully(functioning "itochondrial D$% fro" the donor) and produced apparently healthy baby "onkeys. Such a process alters the D$% inherited by future generations) ho ever ( an idea that has long orried ethicists ( although "itochondrial D$% affects only ho cells convert food into energy) so children ould inherit physical characteristics fro" their real "other&s nuclear D$%. 7osephine 8uintavalle) of the ca"paign group 'o""ent on Reproductive /thics) said: &This is genetic engineering. !"e should avoid at all costs interfering in the pattern of reproduction that has evolved over "illions of years. The ob0ective is to stop "itochondrial diseases in the ne4t generation ( but it ould be absurd if it unleashed so"ething orse in generations to co"e.& Stephen 9reen) director of pressure group 'hristian Voice) said he had concerns that scientists ere going &too far) too fast& and &playing 9od&. :e said: &These things are al ays done ith the best of intentions but e have to think hether this ill lead to any unintended conse#uences. ;hen the child finds out they have t o "u""ies) ho ill they feel< &;e have to have a lot of sy"pathy for those ith inherited conditions but e need to be very careful before e start interfering ith nature. &There&s a thought that because scientists can do so"ething they al ays ant to do it and that&s not necessarily the right ay&. But 6rofessor Sir Ian ;il"ut) of the !R' 'entre for Regenerative !edicine at /dinburgh -niversity and leader of the tea" that cloned Dolly the sheep) said: &This de"onstrates an e4citing ne route to therapy for diseases such as "yopathy) in hich "uscle fibres do not function properly. &It also see"s likely that "itochondrial "alfunction predisposes patients to diseases such as osteoporosis) %l=hei"er&s) 6arkinson&s and stroke.& >ast year $e castle -niversity researchers created ten hu"an e"bryos using a si"ilar techni#ue. They ere destroyed after si4 days because current -. la says they cannot be kept longer than *? days. But the ne :u"an Fertilisation and /"bryology %ct) hich co"es into effect on 5ctober *) could open the door for a change in the rules.