UK to consult on changing laws for mitochondrial disease technique

The UK government is to consult the public on a potential legal amendment that would allow scientists to move ahead with currently prohibited research into inherited diseases.

Responding to a request from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a public discussion will be launched into the possibility of legalising a procedure that would help women with mitochondrial disease to avoid passing on the condition to their children.

The incurable condition can cause symptoms such as stunted growth, loss of muscle coordination, mental disorders or heart and liver disease.

However, it could be prevented by taking the genetic material of a patient's fertilised egg and transferring it into the shell of an egg with healthy mitochondria.

Professor Doug Turnbull of Newcastle University, who pioneered the technique, said this could potentially eliminate any risk of the disease being transmitted.

Minister for universities and science David Willetts said: "Scientists have made an important and potentially life-saving discovery … [However] it is vital that we listen to the public's views before we consider any change in the law."