England is to undertake a clinical trial of mitochondrial donation after the procedure gain approval from regulators, it was announced last night.
Some £8 million is to be spent on the study over five years, NHS England said.
About 25 couples a year are expected to be enrolled into the project in Newcastle, the city where the technique has been developed.
The researchers also appealed for healthy women under the age of 35 to donate their eggs for the project.
Mitochondrial donation gained official backing from the Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority yesterday – and the Newcastle researchers immediately applied for a licence to undertake it.
Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, which has backed the research, said: “This is a landmark day for people living with mitochondrial disease.
"It’s right there’s been such a thorough process to get to this stage. Our long-term support for the science, and close co-ordination with patient groups, policy-makers and regulators have been critical in reaching today’s outcome.
"Through our funding of the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research we look forward to continuing to support this work.”
Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, director of the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University and the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Mitochondrial Disease, said: “We are delighted by today’s decision as it paves the way offering mitochondrial donation as part of an NHS-funded package of care for families affected by mitochondrial DNA disease.
“Newcastle is a major referral centre for the women with mitochondrial DNA mutations in the UK and it will be hugely welcomed as it provides them reproductive choice."
Leave a Reply