Scientists reveal world’s first baby with DNA from 3 parentsSeptember 28, 2016 - 10:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In a world first, a baby has been born with DNA from three biological parents, Time reported Tuesday, September 27. Five-month-old Abrahim Hassan’s Jordanian parents, Ibtisam Shaban and Mahmoud Hassan, were treated by a U.S. team based in Mexico using a controversial technique that allows parents with rare genetic mutations to have healthy babies, the New Scientist reports. Shaban carries genes for Leigh syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by the degeneration of the central nervous system; the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. Although she is healthy, Shaban’s first two children died because of Leigh syndrome, so she sought out the help of the New Hope Fertility Center in New York. Doctors at the center carried out a ‘spindle nuclear transfer’, where they removed the nucleus from one of Shaban’s eggs and inserted it into a donor egg which had had its nucleus removed. The resulting egg was then fertilized with Hassan’s sperm. An embryo was then implanted in Shaban – and, nine months later, Abrahim was born. When Abrahim was tested for Leigh syndrome, they found less than 1% of his mitochondria (tiny structures found in cells) carried the mutation. He will continue to be monitored by doctors to make sure the levels remain as low. “Generally it is thought to take around 18% of mitochondria to be affected before problems start,” says the New Scientist. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. |