July 16, 2025

First report on babies born following pioneering licensed IVF technique to reduce the risk of mitochondrial diseases

The first published research findings from the Newcastle team on the children born following pioneering licensed IVF technique to reduce the risk of mitochondrial diseases.

The research papers, published in New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by the team based at Newcastle University and the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describe the reproductive and clinical outcomes of pronuclear transfer treatments performed to date.

In the absence of a cure for mitochondrial DNA diseases, attention has focussed on IVF-based technologies to reduce the risk of disease by limiting transmission of disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations from mother to child.

The UK was the first country to approve laws to allow the use of the ground-breaking IVF-based mitochondrial donation technology, pronuclear transfer, in 2015. The technique is designed to reduce the risk of mitochondrial DNA disease in children born to women who carry high levels of disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations.

Journalists came to this press briefing to hear from clinicians, scientists and embryologists caring for the mothers affected by mitochondrial disease about the first babies, the science, the methods and the data, and to ask their questions. 

Speakers included:

Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, Emeritus Professor of Neurology, Newcastle University

Professor Mary Herbert, Professor of Reproductive Biology, Newcastle University and Monash University

Professor Bobby McFarland, Director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders (Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) and Professor of Paediatric Mitochondrial Medicine at Newcastle University

Dr Louise Hyslop, Consultant Embryologist, Newcastle Fertility Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of comments.