The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week began discussions over whether it should allow testing of a controversial procedure that would create babies from the DNA of three people. As the Associated Press reports, supporters of the procedure say it could prevent children from inheriting many diseases, though others have expressed ethical concerns, saying it could lead to the development of so-called “designer babies.”
Early testing in animals has so far suggested that offspring created from the DNA of three people — two parents and a female donor — could lead healthy lives, preventing them from inheriting debilitating diseases like blindness and organ failure. But there is wide agreement that it may be many years before the results can be fully evaluated, as researchers continue to monitor the long-term health of the progeny.
via The Verge
