8 babies born using 3-parent IVF method to prevent fatal genetic disease

The procedure is currently illegal in Canada and the U.S., along with most other countries.

Eight babies in the United Kingdom have been born using DNA from a third person to eliminate the risk of them developing an often fatal genetic disease.

The method, referred to by the BBC as the three-person technique, was pioneered by a group of Newcastle-based British scientists and combines the egg and sperm of a mother and father with the healthy DNA of a second egg, donated by a woman to eliminate the risk of a baby developing mitochondrial disorders.

The technique has been legal in the U.K. for 10 years, but proof that it is effective and leading to children being born without the disease is just beginning to emerge.

Mitochondrial disorders are only passed down from the mother to the baby, and deplete the body of the energy it needs to sustain life. It can also cause severe disabilities, with some babies dying within days of birth.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that such disorders can affect one or many parts of the body, including the brain, muscles, kidneys, heart, eyes and ears.

While children born through the three-person technique inherit the majority of their DNA from their parents, about 0.1 per cent is passed on through the donor egg, and then through future generations.

About one in 5,000 babies are born with mitochondrial disease, but this new technique means couples who may have lost one or multiple children to the fatal disorder before can try again while eliminating the risk of passing on the disease.

While the eight couples who used the method to have children have chosen to remain anonymous, they have shared statements detailing their experiences through the Newcastle Fertility Centre, where the procedures took place.