• Eight healthy babies born using a pioneering three-person IVF technique in the UK.
• The procedure reduces the risk of inheriting serious genetic diseases from mothers.
• All infants currently exhibit low or no detectable levels of harmful mitochondrial DNA mutations.
• Critics raise ethical concerns regarding the implications of mitochondrial donation.
• Long-term health of the children will be monitored as part of ongoing research.

Eight healthy babies have been born in the UK utilizing a groundbreaking three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique aimed at preventing the transmission of hereditary mitochondrial diseases. This innovative approach combines DNA from the mother, father, and a healthy egg donor, offering new hope to families affected by these genetic conditions, which affect approximately one in every 5,000 births and can cause severe health issues such as impaired vision and muscle wasting, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera.

The results of this world-first trial were published in several papers in the New England Journal of Medicine and indicate a remarkable reduction in mutated mitochondrial DNA; specifically, 95-100% lower levels were observed in six of the newborns, while the two others showed a reduction between 77-88%, which is below the threshold needed to cause disease. All eight children are healthy, ranging from under six months to over two years old, according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.

This three-person IVF technique, which has been legally permissible in the UK since 2015, involves fertilizing the mother's egg with the father's sperm and transferring their genetic material into a donor egg. This process alleviates the risk associated with the mother's potentially mutated mitochondrial DNA. It has sparked debate surrounding the ethics of such interventions, with concerns raised from religious perspectives about the implications of embryo manipulation, as highlighted by experts including Danielle Hamm of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, noted in South China Morning Post and Dawn.

Critics of the technique fear it may lead to a future where "designer babies" become a reality, prompting discourse around the potential societal impacts of genetic modification in children. Though ethical debates persist, supporters underline the life-changing potential this technology holds for families at high risk of transmitting mitochondrial diseases. Reproductive genetics expert Nils-Goran Larsson emphasized the technique's importance for affected families, as mentioned in CBS News and Channel News Asia.

The study was conducted at the Newcastle Fertility Centre, where researchers aim to continue monitoring the health of the infants over the coming years to assess any potential long-term impacts, focusing on the health trajectory of the children as they grow. Scientists hope that this report may pave the way for further research in reproductive technology, not only to advance our understanding of mitochondrial diseases but also enhance reproductive options for parents worldwide, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.