MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE AND PRONUCLEAR TRANSFER

That this House notes the consultation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) about scientific methods to avoid the transmission of mitochondrial diseases; recognises that there is currently no cure for these devastating conditions affecting more than 6,000 people across the UK; welcomes research led by Professor Doug Turnbull and funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign that shows pronuclear transfer has the potential to develop into an effective method to prevent mitochondrial diseases being passed from mother to child; calls on the HFEA to consult people living with the condition; and strongly urges the Department of Health to introduce regulations which would allow clinical studies to test the potential benefits and risks of pronuclear transfer in humans to be carried out in the UK.