A baby was born for the first time in the United Kingdom from the combination of the DNA of three people, the British fertility regulator confirms according to a BBC report.

Most of her DNA comes from both her parents and about 0.1% from a third female donor.

It is a groundbreaking technique in one trying to prevent children from being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases. Up to five of these babies have been born, but no further details have been released, according to the outlet.

Mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days or even hours of birth. It is a group of metabolic disorders. Some have been described 150 mutations which end in different kinds of diseases.

Some families have lost several children and this technique is considered the only option to have a healthy child of your own.

Mitochondria are the tiny compartments in almost every cell in the body that convert food into usable energy. Defective mitochondria do not fuel the body and lead to brain damage, muscle atrophy, heart failure and blindness.

While the babies will technically have two mothers, the second “mother” will have no real genetic connection to the child. contribute only 0.1 percent of their DNA.

Critics have previously expressed fears that the Successful use of the technique could pave the way for “designer” babies. But supporters say the mitochondrial donation is a lifeline for up to 3,000 women at risk of transmitting life-threatening diseases.

The families involved have not been identified, but the first three-parent babies could have been born to two mothers who knew each other, and it is clear that eligible women asked their friends to be egg donors. Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational Trust (PET), a charity campaigning to help people affected by genetic disorders and infertility, said: “The first baby born with a new technique is always great news, but a cautious one. response is particularly appropriate in this case.

in at least three countries

Britain became the first country in the world to legalize three-parent babies under license in 2015. Three-parent babies are already known to be born, using slightly different methods, in countries like Mexico and Ukraine.

It is controversial that it is used abroad not only to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases, but also as a method that supposedly helps an infertile woman conceive by using DNA from a second wife.

The technique, which is only used in the UK to prevent mitochondrial disease, removes the nucleus from the mother’s egg and places it in an emptied egg donated by another woman. But it’s not without risks, and some experts worry that moving genetic material from one egg to another could affect how genes are expressed.

It cannot be ruled out that the interruption of gene activity could leave a child with a higher risk of later health problems, such as cancer or diabetes.