Triplikid

Triplikid is a term that refers to a child conceived through a specific type of in vitro fertilization (IVF) process involving three individuals. This process, sometimes referred to as mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) or three-parent IVF, is designed to prevent the transmission of severe mitochondrial diseases from a mother to her child. Mitochondria are organelles within cells that provide energy, and defects in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can lead to a range of debilitating or fatal conditions.

In the standard IVF procedure, an embryo is created from the egg of one parent and the sperm of the other. In triplikid conception, a small portion of the nucleus from the mother's egg, containing her nuclear DNA, is transferred into a donor egg from a healthy woman. This donor egg has had its own nucleus removed. The donor egg is then fertilized with the father's sperm. As a result, the resulting child inherits nuclear DNA from both the mother and the father, and mitochondrial DNA from the egg donor.

This technique aims to give parents who are carriers of mitochondrial diseases the opportunity to have a genetically related child free from these conditions. The first baby born using this method was in 2016. The ethical implications and regulatory frameworks surrounding this technology are subjects of ongoing discussion and vary across different countries.