Eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using a new type of IVF treatment. This treatment was made to help mothers who have a high chance of passing serious genetic diseases to their children. These diseases come from problems in the mother's mitochondrial DNA.

What is mitochondria?

Mitochondria are tiny parts of a cell that make energy. They are passed from mother to child. If a mother has a mutation in her mitochondrial DNA, it can cause diseases that affect the brain, muscles, heart, and eyes. These diseases are very rare, but they cannot be treated. Around 1 in every 5,000 babies is born with a mitochondrial disease. Symptoms can include poor vision, muscle weakness, and diabetes.

Now, scientists in the UK have found a way to stop this from happening. The method is called mitochondrial donation or pronuclear transfer. It was tested as part of a trial, and the results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is the first time such a trial has been done anywhere in the world.

The IVF method works by taking the nucleus (centre) from the fertilised egg of the mother and father and putting it into a healthy donor egg. The donor egg has normal mitochondria, but its nucleus is removed. The final egg has nuclear DNA from the mother and father and mitochondrial DNA from the donor—this is why it is called a “three-parent” baby.

This method does not change how the baby looks or acts. Mitochondrial DNA is only about 0.1% of total DNA, and it does not affect personality or appearance. But it is very important for health.

All eight babies are healthy, no sign of mitochondrial disease

According to doctors, the new IVF method has worked well. All eight babies, four girls and four boys, are healthy. They show no signs of having mitochondrial disease. One of the babies is a part of a set of identical twins.

The treatment was done by scientists from Newcastle University and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Their research was funded by Wellcome and NHS England.

The babies were born to seven women who had a very high risk of passing mitochondrial disease to their children. In all cases, the harmful DNA was either not found or was present at very low levels, which means the babies will not get sick from it.

The scientific journal Nature also reported on the trial. It explained that this method protects babies from dangerous mutations that come from the mother’s mitochondrial DNA. These mutations can cause life-threatening diseases, especially in organs that need a lot of energy, like the brain, heart, and muscles.

“This is a landmark study on preventing mitochondrial disease,” said Dietrich Egli, a stem-cell scientist at Columbia University in New York City.

One of the mothers who gave birth to a baby girl said, “As parents, all we ever wanted was to give our child a healthy start in life. Mitochondrial donation IVF made that possible. After years of uncertainty, this treatment gave us hope—and then it gave us our baby. We look at them now, full of life and possibility, and we're overwhelmed with gratitude. Science gave us a chance.”

Another mother, who gave birth to a baby boy, said, "We are now proud parents to a healthy baby—a true mitochondrial replacement success. This breakthrough has lifted the heavy cloud of fear that once loomed over us. Thanks to this incredible advancement and the support we received, our little family is complete. The emotional burden of mitochondrial disease has been lifted, and in its place is hope, joy, and deep gratitude."

The UK’s NHS Mitochondrial Reproductive Care Pathway now offers this special IVF treatment to women with mitochondrial disease as part of a research study. The process is done in a safe and well-regulated environment.

Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, one of the scientists at Newcastle University, said:
"Mitochondrial disease can have a devastating impact on families. Today's news offers fresh hope to many more women at risk of passing on this condition who now have the chance to have children growing up without this terrible disease. Within the framework of the NHS in a well-regulated environment, we are able to offer mitochondrial donation as part of a research study to affected women in the UK."

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