--- title: World's First Baby Born With DNA From Three Parents description: In a world first, a baby has been born with DNA from three biological parents canonical: https://time.com/4509565/worlds-first-baby-born-with-dna-from-three-parents/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-27T15:06:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T18:40:39.000Z article:section: Health og:title: World's First Baby Born With DNA From Three Parents og:description: In a world first, a baby has been born with DNA from three biological parents og:url: https://time.com/4509565/worlds-first-baby-born-with-dna-from-three-parents/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: World's First Baby Born With DNA From Three Parents twitter:description: In a world first, a baby has been born with DNA from three biological parents twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # World's First Baby Born With DNA From Three Parents > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: How CRISPR DNA-Editing Works [Watch (HLS stream): How CRISPR DNA-Editing Works](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xeP3Y87P.m3u8) (2:22)  _Published 2016-06-22. A brief guide to a ground-breaking new technology._ by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:40 PM UTCPublished: Sep 27, 2016 3:06 PM UTC by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:40 PM UTCPublished: Sep 27, 2016 3:06 PM UTC In a world first, a [baby](http://time.com/4401117/watch-this-baby-work-out-just-like-sylvester-stallone-in-rocky/) has been born with [DNA](http://time.com/4426572/exercise-dna-telomeres/) from three biological parents. The 5-month-old boy, born to Jordanian parents, was conceived with the help of 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_](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/?cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2016-Echobox&utm%5Fcampaign=Echobox&utm%5Fmedium=Social&utm%5Fsource=Twitter#link%5Ftime=1474985189) reports. The mother 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, her 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 her eggs and inserted it into a donor egg which had had its nucleus removed. The resulting egg was then fertilized with the father’s sperm. An embryo was then implanted in the mother – and, nine months later, their baby son was born. When the boy was tested for Leigh syndrome, reseachers 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_. \[[_New Scientist_](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/?cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2016-Echobox&utm%5Fcampaign=Echobox&utm%5Fmedium=Social&utm%5Fsource=Twitter#link%5Ftime=1474985189)\] _Update: This story originally included the names of the child and parents. TIME removed them post-publication, at the request of the New Hope clinic_ ## Transcript To understand CRISPR gene editing, let's start with what is DNA. Handed down from generation to generation, every cell in your body carries a copy of your genetic code called your genome. It's made up of DNA. It's like a book that describes A book made up of three billion letters arranged in different sequences that make up DNA words. These words can influence the traits that you take on, athletic, intelligent, gifted. Recently, computers have deciphered the entire human genos and have identified genetic mutations behind diseases that currently have no cure [ MUSIC ] With Crisper we can edit DNA. Crisper is a man- made molecule that can be programmed to find mutated or diseased DNA. [ MUSIC ] It's also equipped with a pair of molecular scissors. So once Crisper finds it's target DNA, it can snip that section from the genome. [ MUSIC ] Sometimes the body can repair itself. Other times, scientists can patch it with corrected letters. If this happens in eggs, sperm, or embryonic cells, the changes will be permanent and passed on to future generations. Crisper is already showing promise. It's being used to cut out the HIV virus. Eliminate Huntington's disease from the brain and even alter a mosquito's genome so it's less likely to spread malaria and zikka. Chrisper could lead to a new world of treatments, curing diseases and even eliminating them. So future generations won't ever have to suffer from them again. 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