You Adore Your Parents, But Would You Want Three Of Them? Now It Could Happen

While having more than two biological parents sounds like science-fiction, recent medical advances have made it a big possibility for the future.

 Researchers in the U.K. have as of late gotten consent from the Human Fertilization and Embryo Authority (HFEA) to do another in vitro treatment (IVF) procedure in a facility at Newcastle University that, if fruitful, could keep youngsters from being conceived with certain hereditary maladies - and give them three organic guardians.

Developed by doctors in Newcastle, the treatment known as mitochondrial donation replaces the mother's faulty mitochondria with healthy mitochondria from another woman.

 

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 Mitochondria are present in almost every cell and create more than 90 percent of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support organ function. So when they begin failing, organs are at risk of failing as well.

 Unfortunately, mitochondrial disease primarily affects children. About one in 4,300 children with it are born every year, and there is no cure -- but that's what makes this treatment so significant. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited through the mother's eggs, so replacing it with healthy samples could prevent the disease altogether and save lives.

 "Patients will now be able to apply individually to the HFEA to undergo mitochondrial donation treatment at Newcastle, which will be life-changing for them, as they seek to avoid passing on serious genetic diseases to future generations," said Sally Cheshire, chair of HFEA.

 To learn more about this groundbreaking technique, check out the video below.



It might be strange for kids to say that they technically have three parents, but the benefits from this treatment would be pretty amazing. Be sure to share this medical breakthrough with others!

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