Medical researchers are pushing for unclaimed IVF eggs to be donated for clinical research, rather than thrown away.
A leading bioethicist has called for unclaimed eggs in IVF clinical freezers to be donated to clinical research rather than be thrown in the bin.Unclaimed eggs in IVF freezers should be automatically donated to research, argue parents and researchers
Monash University bioethicist Professor Catherine Mills says the eggs are needed for upcoming clinical trials that will try to find ways to eliminate the possibility of children being born with mitochondrial diseases."The current situation with unclaimed eggs is that, at the end of the 10-year period, or the 10-year freezing period, clinics make quite a lot of effort to contact women whose eggs have been frozen," she said.
"I'm suggesting that, instead of those eggs being discarded automatically when women can't be contacted, the default option should be that they actually get donated to research instead," Professor Mills said. According to the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, a tiny fraction, or 0.1 per cent, of the resulting egg is mitochondrial DNA from the donor egg, in place of the mother's faulty mitochondrial DNA.Maeve's father, Joel Hood, explained what the law change means.
However, before IVF processes can start using this technology to eliminate the risk of children being born with severe mitochondrial disorders, clinical trials need to take place. "It's actually quite an aggressive disease that, unfortunately, takes children's lives generally between the ages of five and eight."
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