7.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

7.1. THREE PARENT BABY Mitochondria and Mitochondrial Diseases
• Mitochondria are basically the powerhouses of the cells. They
Why in news? generate the energy, and thus are also responsible for cell function in
the human body.
Recently, a baby has been born using three
• Certain defects might occur impacting on the way the mitochondria
people's DNA in the UK with help of produce energy for the cells and thereby impacting cell function.
Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT) o The diseases that arise out of such mitochondrial mutations are
procedure. called mitochondrial diseases.
o When the mitochondria are impaired and do not produce
About Mitochondrial Donation Treatment
sufficient energy, that affects how the organs function, leading to
(MDT)
a broad assortment of symptoms across the body, including brain
• MDT is a technique in which a child is damage, organ failure and muscle wastage.
conceived from IVF (in vitro fertilization) o Unlike nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents,
using the genetic material of the parents mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother.
and the mitochondrial material of a
donor.
• It works on the principle in which the
diseased mitochondria are replaced by
healthy mitochondria in order to avoid
transfer of mitochondrial diseases from
the mother to the offspring.
o Passing on mitochondrial diseases
from parent to child can be prevented
by MDT either before or after IVF of
the egg.
• It is also known as Mitochondrial
Replacement Therapy (MRT) and Three-
parent babies Process (due to
involvement of three persons).
• Mechanism:
o Embryos combine sperm and egg from
the biological parents with tiny
battery-like structures called
mitochondria from the donor’s egg.
o Resulting baby has DNA from the
mother and father as
usual, plus a small
amount of genetic
material (about 37
genes) from the donor.
Most common techniques in the
mitochondrial donation
• There are two common
techniques i.e., MST and PNT.
o In both techniques, eggs
or embryos are created
using nuclear genetic
material and healthy
donated mitochondria.
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 o In both MST and PNT, the resulting embryos would contain parent’s genetic material. Both techniques work
equally well.
Maternal Spindle Nuclear genetic
Transfer (MST) material is
Technique removed from
eggs and
transferred into
donated eggs
which have had
their nuclear
genetic material
removed. The
eggs are then
fertilised with
sperm to create
embryos.

Pronuclear Eggs are

Transfer (PNT) fertilised with
technique sperm in a lab
(substitute to to create
MST) embryos. The
nuclear
genetic
material
within each
embryo is
then
transferred
into embryos
created using
donated eggs
and sperm
from the
sperm
provider.
Again, the nuclear genetic material will have been removed from the donated eggs.
Benefits of Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT)
• Disease Prevention: As there are no Ethical concerns associated with MDTs
effective treatments for mitochondrial • Potential for 'Designer Babies': As MDTs involve genetic modification,
diseases that can cause severe health they could potentially open the door to the creation of "designer
babies" - embryos genetically engineered for preferred characteristics.
issues, MDT offers a chance for a healthier
o This brings up a multitude of ethical concerns related to eugenics
life for a baby.
and potential misuse of the technology.
o About one in 6,000 babies are o Eugenics refers to the selection of desired heritable
affected by mitochondrial disorder. characteristics in order to improve future generations, typically in
• Genetic Connection: MRT can assist older reference to humans.
women with poor quality eggs to have a • Issue of Mitochondrial Donor's role in child’s life: The donor play’s a
biologically related child by retaining the significant role in child’s healthy conception, but their contribution is
woman's nuclear DNA while using limited to the initial stage.
mitochondria from a younger donor. o This creates ambiguity vis-à-vis donor’s biological claim on the
child or involvement in their life.

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• Reproductive Freedom: MRT can benefit same-sex female couples seeking a child genetically related to both, with
one woman providing nuclear DNA and the other providing mitochondrial DNA.
Issues with Mitochondrial Donation Treatment:
• Effectiveness Concerns: The dynamic nature of mitochondria and potential residual damaged mitochondria after
transfer could compromise MRT's effectiveness and long-term benefits.
• Incompatibility Risks: Potential incompatibility between donor's mitochondria and receiver's nuclear genome could
pose challenges.
• Lack of Data: MRT is in its experimental stages with inadequate data on potential adverse effects, making careful
application critical.
• Impact on Child: There are concerns that MRT could influence a child's personality, including potential neurological
changes, and pose risks such as developmental disability and increased cancer risk.
• Cost Barriers: MRT is a costly procedure, making it inaccessible to many sections of society.
Conclusion
If MDT technique is to be implemented in the country, there should be a regulatory body that governs its usage to avoid
any unethical practises. Proper clinical trials are the need of the hour for data to be collected on the safety and efficacy
of the technique being used.

7.2. ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR)

Why in News?
Recently, WHO in partnership
with the Global AMR R&D Hub,
has released ‘Incentivizing the
development of New
Antibacterial Treatments 2023’
Report.
More about News
• Report is for the G7
countries monitoring and
handling of AMR.
• About Global AMR R&D Hub
o It is a partnership of
countries, non-
governmental donor
organizations and
intergovernmental
organizations.
o It was launched in 2018,
to address challenges and improve coordination and collaboration in global AMR R&D using a One Health
approach.

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