MPs’ protests fail to derail gene therapy plans

First published in News Last updated by Robert Merrick, Parliamentary Correspondent

PROTESTS by a group of MPs have failed to derail plans for a controversial gene therapy, to stop incurable diseases passing to the next generations.

Ministers vowed to plough ahead with preparations for the DNA-altering procedure, which is being pioneered by a team at Newcastle University.

However, the department of health declined to say when the issue would be put to a vote in Parliament, despite suggestions that it could be before the end of the year.

The treatment involves replacing faulty mitochondria responsible for inherited diseases, including muscle wasting, heart problems, vision loss, organ failure and epilepsy.

Embryos are given healthy DNA from donor eggs, meaning a baby has the DNA of three people from two parents, plus less than one per cent from the donor.

Professor Doug Turnbull, who leads the Newcastle team, has urged the Government to draw up legislation as soon as possible, because of the number of patients waiting for treatment.

But, in the Commons, MPs brought forward a motion demanding further research and for new regulations to be delayed in light of public safety concerns.

Fiona Bruce, a Conservative backbencher, claimed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) wanted further research, saying: This is a case of genetic engineering.

It is the alteration of a potential human being - the removal of certain genes and their replacement with others, to create children.

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MPs' protests fail to derail gene therapy plans