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[Shoukhrat Mitalipov]’s one of the few researchers in the world to study a type of genetic manipulation — essentially cloning — in hopes of eventually improving human health.…
Serious mutations in these 37 mitochondrial genes doom a fetus; slightly milder mutations can lead to muscle weaknesses, heart problems, and intellectual disabilities…[S]o most women who know they are carriers of mitochondrial mutations decide not to have biological children.
Hoping to offer them a chance to have genetically related children, Mitalipov has pioneered a method dubbed “three-parent embryos.”
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So far, Mitalipov has tried this only on mice and a handful of monkeys. He is eager to try the technique to prevent human disease…Potential patients are excited, too.
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[However] some scientists worry it’s too soon for human trials.“If someone were to proceed with it now, my own view is that’s probably irresponsible. There are so many question marks. I just think it’s premature,” said Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell biologist at the University of California, Davis.
Read full, original post: First he pioneered a new way of making life. Now he wants to try it in people
