Govt To Consult Public On Embryonic Treatment Plan

The Secretary of State for Health has asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to seek public views on emerging IVF techniques to prevent a rare disease.

Andrew Lansley, together with the Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, have jointly called for the public to be consulted on about the technique, which is currently illegal.

However, the ministers say the treatment may allow women with particular genetic diseases to avoid passing it on to their child and want to explore what people think about the possible use of these techniques in treatment.

The HFEA, working with Sciencewise, will begin the public dialogue later this year, guided by a group of experts.

Professor Lisa Jardine, Chair of the HFEA, said: "We were delighted to accept the Ministers' request to carry out this important piece of work, which we are uniquely placed to conduct. Explaining complicated science to the public is an important feature of our work. We will bring both our ethics expertise and our inside knowledge of licensing research and treatment in IVF to bear on this cutting edge and controversial area of reproductive science.

"This is an issue of great importance to families affected by mitochondrial disease and it is also one of enormous public interest. The decision about whether this research technique should be made available to treat patients is one for the Secretary of State and, ultimately, Parliament. We will work hard to stimulate a rich and varied public debate, to help him make an informed decision."

The research is mainly concerned with mitochondrial disease, a genetic condition that affects an individual’s mitochondria - the part of the body’s cells that produces the energy they need to function.

The condition affects approximately one in 5,000 adults, while one in 6,500 babies are born with a severe form of the disease that can lead to death in early infancy. There is currently no cure.

The proposed procedure would use IVF to fertilise the egg of a woman affected by mitochondrial disease with her partner’s sperm. The genetic material of the fertilised egg that determines the characteristics of the potential child would then be transferred to the shell of an egg donated by a woman who has healthy mitochondria. This procedure would not be allowed under the current law.

(DW)