CYIL vol. 9 (2018)

MARTIN ŠOLC

CYIL 9 ȍ2018Ȏ

MITOCHONDRIAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOMEDICINE: A DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE? Martin Šolc 1 Abstract: In recent years, wide media attention has been drawn to the mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT; or, in journalist jargon, the creation of “the three-parent babies”). The novel technique enables physicians to treat serious hereditary mitochondrial diseases in embryos by replacing the embryo’s mitochondria carrying the genetic defect with healthy ones. However, the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine prohibits any genetic modification that aims at modifying the genome of any descendants. The mitochondrial DNA is inherited in maternal line; therefore, the use of MRT in embryos of female sex could be inadmissible, while in embryos of male sex it could be permissible. This approach, however, might be considered discriminatory. The article analyses basic legal, biological, and ethical questions that require answers in order to solve the said dilemma. Resumé: V uplynulých letech upoutala rozsáhlou mediální pozornost technika mitochon- driálního transferu (MRT; nebo, v novinářském žargonu, vytváření „dětí tří rodičů“). Tato nová technologie umožňuje léčit závažná dědičná mitochondriální onemocnění nahrazením mitochondrií embrya, které nesou genetický defekt, zdravými mitochondriemi. Úmluva o lidských právech a biomedicíně však zakazuje jakoukoliv modifikaci lidského genomu, jejímž cílem je změna genomu některého z potomků. Mitochondriální DNA je děděna po mateřské linii; použití MRT u embryí ženského pohlaví proto může být nepřípustným, zatímco u embryí mužského pohlaví může být dovolené. Tento přístup by ovšem mohl být pokládán za diskriminační. Článek analyzuje základní právní, biologické a etické otázky, které je třeba zodpovědět za účelem řešení předmětného dilematu. KeyWords: medical law, medical ethics, mitochondrial replacement therapy, discrimination, Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. About the author: JUDr. Mgr. Martin Šolc is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Civil Law and the Centre for Medical Law at the Faculty of Law, Charles University. He focuses on medical law and ethics with an emphasis on medical research. solcma@prf.cuni.cz. Introduction The headlines announcing the advent of “three-parent babies” were bound to attract attention. The reality of mitochondrial replacement therapy is a bit less revolutionary, but it still represents one of the most innovative procedures in contemporary medicine, enabling physicians to treat several serious genetic disorders for the first time in history. It also brings about deep legal and ethical questions. Should MRT be considered a prevention or 1 This article was written with the support of the Charles University UNCE project no. 204051 “Human Rights Research Centre”. The author would like to express his sincere gratitude for the most kind and helpful consultations on the related scientific questions to Mgr. Marie Kroutilová of the Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, and to Dr. Mair Crouch of the University of Glasgow.

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