Newcastle University

Professor Doug Turnbull and Professor Mary Herbert have developed new research techniques using human eggs which could pave the way to prevent the transmission of the hereditary condition of Mitochondrial diseases during IVF treatment.

The techniques involve transferring nuclear DNA, which contains our genetic make-up, between two human eggs to replace defective mitochondria - the 'batteries' that power the cells in our bodies. When these batteries fail, patients can develop devastating mitochondrial diseases with symptoms often affecting those tissues most heavily dependent on energy, such as the heart, muscles and brain.

The Wellcome Trust has awarded £4.4 million to Newcastle University to establish a world-leading centre dedicated to understanding the biology of mitochondria and their relation to health and disease. Newcastle University has contributed a further £1.4 million for the centre.

Professor Turnbull, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research says: "Every year, we see hundreds of patients whose lives are seriously affected by mitochondrial diseases. We want to make a major difference to the lives of these patients. This new funding will enable us to take forward essential experiments, which we hope will demonstrate to the HFEA and to the public that these techniques, which are based on existing IVF techniques, are safe and effective."