Swapping chromosomes among eggs could keep embryos from
inheriting genetic diseases. What’s the News: Babies with three
parents and fewer genetic diseases might soon be possible: A UK
national health panel has found that techniques for swapping
chromosomes between eggs so offspring don’t inherit disease-
causing mutations from their mother’s mitochondria are not
dangerous. The techniques, which have been tested in mice,
monkeys, and human cells, still need to be studied more before
making the transfer to the clinic, though, and as with all
genetic engineering techniques, there’s a complex ethical maze
ahead of researchers. What’s the Context: - In addition to the
DNA you inherit from your mother and father’s egg and sperm, you
also inherit a small amount of DNA that’s contained in the
mitochondria of the egg. Mitochondria are cellular structures
that produce energy for the cell, thought to be descended from
bacteria that moved into cells millions of years ago, and have
their own mini-genome. The mitochondria i