£8m for ground-breaking mitochondrial donation clinical trial
NHS England has announced it will make up to £8m available over five years to fund the treatment costs of a five year clinical trial of mitochondrial donation – a form of IVF in which the future baby’s mitochondrial DNA comes from a donor egg, to avoid passing on inherited mitochondrial diseases.
The decision follows the announcement that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is now accepting applications for licences to carry out the procedure. Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust will be the first to apply.