Mitochondrial donation
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
Mitochondrial donation is an IVF technique that gives families affected by mitochondrial disease the chance of having healthy children.
It involves taking the DNA out of a woman’s egg that has faulty mitochondria (the ‘batteries’ that give all our cells their energy), and transferring it to a donor egg with healthy mitochondria.
Our position
We actively support mitochondrial donation and have driven legislative change to ensure this cutting-edge technique can be used in clinics for the benefit of patients.
As a result of our work, and the work of others, the UK Parliament voted in support of mitochondrial donation in February 2015.
Since October 2015, mitochondrial donation has been licensed and regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for clinical use in the UK.
What we’re doing
Why does mitochondrial donation matter?
Approximately one in 200 children in the UK are born with faulty mitochondrial DNA.
While many people have mild or no symptoms, around one in ...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
