Later today, the UK Parliament will vote on whether to authorise medically assisted procreation for couples where the mother-to-be suffers from a mitochondrial problem that she is likely to pass on to her children. Mitochondria are basically the energy supply for cells: they don’t affect the person’s genetic makeup. Batteries, if you like. They are inherited only from the mother, which is what makes mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) a potential relatively simple and permanent cure for mitochondrial diseases, of which you’ll find a non-exhaustive list here.
Read on: Three-parent embryos - Plague of Mice
