Genetically altered '3-parent child' now possible

A new UK study has revealed that a major development in IVF technology has made it possible for a child to have three genetic parents.

The procedure is intended to prevent or correct metabolic disorders by replacing parental DNA with that of a donor, "essentially creating a three-parent child," Stuff.co.nz reported.

Mitochondria, which are cellular structures accountable for 95 percent of energy requirements in the body, are passed from mother to baby, and are the most common inherited metabolic disorders.

However, IVF embryo profiling can diagnose such disorders and the newest development can replace unhealthy mitochondria from the mother's egg cell with healthy mitochondria from a donor.

But, Michael Legge, from the University of Otago, explained that the procedure does not mean that mean the child would be the equal offspring of all three parents, as mitochondria contained less than one per cent of a person's DNA.

The child would not inherit any traits from the donor other than their metabolic processes, Legge added.

The study is published in the Medical Journal.