Monday, August 25, 2008

Donor Egg: DNA Transfer

The following question was recently posed to us from Heather on Thursday, August 21, 2008:

Does anyone out there know anything about DNA transfer into a donor egg. i.e. I have read about oocyte use as a vehicle to carry DNA by withdrawing the donor's DNA and injecting the receiver's DNA. Any thoughts? Has anyone heard a doctor who does the relatively new procedure of DNA transfer through the use of a donor's egg? For example, withdrawing the donor's DNA and injecting the receiver's DNA so that the baby has the same DNA as it's parents-to-be.

We now have an answer to her question from a very prominent scientific researcher in the field of IVF, Dr. Jacques Cohen, Director of Reprogenetics and Tyho Galileo Research Laboratories.

The question is semantically describing a procedure that appears a substitute of cloning. The US government has curtailed such research and experimental work in a letter to all IVF clinics in 2001 which was publicized widely and accepted by the clinical community
http://www.fda.gov/CBER/genetherapy/clone.htm. There is currently no evidence that the approach would be a good or safe alternative to standard IVF with gamete donation. Based on numerous publications from the animal science literature the offspring from such experiments may have a greater likelihood of anomalies compared to standard reproductive technology. Based on our understanding of the processes involved and the outcomes of animal experimentation, it is currently not recommended to pursue this avenue.

I hope this helps.

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