Mitochondrial donation and Kearns–Sayre syndrome

Hello! I’m a carrier of the Kearns–Sayre syndrome (KSS) and I’ve been informed about mitochondrial donation, but I don’t quite understand how it works, it’s a complex technique, you know… I mean, how does the process of having three genetic parents via mitochondrial donation with donor eggs work? I’m considering traveling to England to undergo IVF with this type of donation, but there’s still a lot to be done before that. First of all, I need to understand how this process works perfectly 🙂 Can you give me a detailed explanation? Thanks!

Dear daniela,

as it is a mitochondrial disease and given that mitochondria is inherited from the mother, somatic cell nuclear transfer is a very good option for women with this type of diseases.

The process involves the following: the eggs with an abnormal mitochondrial structure are inseminated with the partner’s sperm or donor sperm. At the same time, donor eggs are inseminated as well, either with sperm collected from the husband or a donor. This allows the creation of zygotes with a healthy mitochondrial structure and others with an abnormal mitochondrial structure.

The idea is to remove the nucleus of the embryos created from your eggs when it is still a single-cell embryo (i.e. zygote). Then, such nuclei containing your own DNA are inserted inside the embryos that have been created from donor eggs, which have had their nucleus previously removed.

All this allows that your embryos contain your genetic code and that of your husband/partner, while the mitochondrial structure will be from the healthy donor. This way, we can prevent offspring from developing your genetic disease.

The following article may be of interest: Babies with three genetic parents.

I hope I have been able to help,

Regards