CENTER FOR EMBRYONIC CELL AND GENE THERAPY OF OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
In efforts to prevent women who have pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations from passing these on to their offspring, researchers have been developing so-called three-parent assisted reproductive techniques. All of techniques in development require an enucleated donor oocyte or a single-cell embryo with non-mutated mtDNA. In a study published today (November 30) in Nature, researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University and their colleagues demonstrate that nuclear DNA from human eggs harboring mutated mtDNA can be transferred to a healthy, nucleus-free donor egg and then successfully fertilized. The researchers also show that certain maternal mtDNA haplotypes may have a replicative advantage, underscoring the potential need to match the donor and carrier egg mtDNA haplotypes.
“This is interesting work that nicely demonstrates effective replacement of ...
