Mitochondria, small cylindrical structures in the cells, are transferred from a mother to a child. They are responsible for the energy production and carry out the functions such as the storage of calcium. They mediate in cell death.If mitochondria malfunction, there are diseases of the muscles and nerves. If the defective mitochondria pass on to the children from mother, these children inherit diseases. If father’s mitochondria are defective, children do not inherit them.The symptoms of these diseases are treated by vitamin and other supplements and anti-oxidants.There is no treatment  that can cure the problem. Doctors advise mothers with defective mitochondria not to have children.

A new technique has emerged that takes care of the defective mitochondria. Sperm from father and ovum from mother are fertilised in a test tube. The nuclei from both of these are removed before they fuse.An ovum from a donor woman is taken, and its nuclei is removed. The parents nuclei and the ovum without nuclei from the donor woman are put together. The fertilised egg retains the mitochondria of the donor woman.In February, 2015, the British parliament has given a nod to the law to allow this three parent baby, thus taking the first small step towards the designer babies. Britain’s three parent baby could be born as early as 2016.