DNA gamechanger: 'This is really cutting-edge stuff' - geneticist

CapeTalk's John Maytham speaks to Dr Monique Zaahl, a South African geneticist with expertise in rare diseases and genomic innovation.

Listen below:

In a historic breakthrough, eight babies have been born in the UK using DNA from three people, offering a powerful new solution to combat mitochondrial diseases—conditions that often lead to severe disability or early death.

Mitochondria are passed down only from the mother to the child, so this pioneering technique uses both parents, and a woman who donates her healthy mitochondria.

Dr Zaahl explains that this mitochondrial DNA is not the same as nuclear DNA. It's the nuclear DNA that carries the characteristics of the parents.

This means that this potential new method of reproduction will not eradicate hereditary conditions, but it is a significant gamechanger in the fight against mitochondrial disease.

"This is really cutting-edge stuff... it's very exciting, for me as a geneticist, what can be done."

- Dr Monique Zaahl, Geneticist

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion.