Article from the Courier Mail, 9 January 2009.
A British mother became the first woman in Britain to give birth to a baby that is immune to genetically related breast cancer. Breast cancer research has shown in recent years that the condition can be partially a result of a genetic predisposition. The gene that has been studied among woman is the various mutations of the BRCA 1 gene.
BRCA1 is a gene known as tumor suppressors. This gene is responsible for the production of a protein product that is involved in many processes including DNA damage repair. Various mutations in this gene have been shown to produce an increased risk in the development of various cancers. Studies have shown that those with the mutated gene have an 80 per cent risk of developing breast cancer and a 60 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer among females. This gene is also responsible for a 50 per cent risk of those with the gene passing on the anomaly to their own children.
The baby that was to be born was a part of a family with en extensive medical history involving breast cancer. In order to ensure that any faulty gene would not be expressed within the baby, PGD was used to screen the possible embryos and insure that the one selected did not have the faulty gene.
In medicine and clinical genetics, PGD, known as “Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis”, refers to procedures that are performed on embryos prior to implantation. PGD requires in vitro fertilization (IVF) to obtain oocytes or embryos for evaluation. An oocyte or early-stage embryo has no symptoms of disease but they may have a genetic condition that could lead to disease. PGD tests for anatomical, physiological, or genetic conditions in the absence of symptoms of disease. PGD is utilized when dealing with couples that have a high risk of transmitting an inherited condition. PGD identifies embryos carrying a genetic disease or a chromosome abnormality.
As a result of this procedure, the mother has given birth to a healthy child that no longer has the increased risk of breast cancer that has been present within the family for years. This event has produced further evidence that PGD is a viable method of improving the health of children born.
by Auclair 42032953
