'Three-parent baby' treatment given green light by fertility regulator
Video report by ITV News Science Correspondent Alok Jha
Clinics will be allowed to apply for permission to provide so-called "three-parent baby" treatment, in a ground-breaking move.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority opted in favour of the treatment which is designed to combat inherited diseases.
With the technique permitted by Britain's fertility regulator, the UK's first mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) patients could be treated as early as next spring.
Board members voted unanimously in favour, with potential IVF children set to receive a tiny amount of DNA from a third person other than their mother or father.
An independent panel of experts had previously recommended a "cautious adoption" of MRT.
Scientists at the University of Newcastle, which pioneered the treatments, say they already have women lined up for the therapy.
An initial £8 million will be made available by the NHS to fund the treatment over the next five years, NHS England announced.
HFEA chairwoman Sally Cheshire said: "This is a historic decision. Patients who might be in line for this treatment will be really pleased with what we've decided today."
Meanwhile, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens said: "The NHS has given the world medical innovations ranging from modern cataract surgery, new vaccines and hip replacements, and today we take a world-leading next step to harness ground-breaking science for the benefit of our children.
“As the country prepares for Brexit, this is another example of how the NHS both supports and benefits from our vibrant and internationally-competitive life sciences sector."
Fertility doctors carrying out the treatment will aim to replace abnormal genes in the mitochondria - rod-like power plants in cells that generate energy.
Mitochondria only hold around 0.1% of a person's DNA, which is always inherited from the mother and has no influence over individual characteristics such as appearance and personality.
It is quite separate from the DNA in the cell nucleus which houses the vast majority of an individual's genes.
But faulty mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can lead to a wide range of potentially fatal conditions affecting vital organs, muscles, vision, growth and mental ability.
The treatment is carried out by transferring the genetic material that effectively encodes a baby's identity to a donor egg whose own nuclear DNA has been removed.
Two different techniques may be employed, either before or after fertilisation. The end result is the same - an embryo containing healthy mitochondria from the donor and nuclear DNA from the baby's mother and father.
In theory, mitochondrial replacement can not only prevent a child developing inherited diseases, but also protect future generations.
An estimated 2,473 women of child bearing age are at risk for transmitting mitochondrial DNA disease nationally and the lifetime treatment cost for a patient with serious mitochondrial disease is around £1.3m.