Scientists have produced monkeys with genetic material from two mothers, an advance that could help women with some inherited diseases have healthy children but that raises safety, legal, ethical, and social questions.

科學家已成功利用兩隻母猴的基因物質製造出猴子，這項進展可以幫助有遺傳疾病的母親生出健健康康的寶寶，但這已經引發安全性、適法性、倫理及社會問題。

Using cloning-related techniques, the researchers developed a way to replace most of the genes in the eggs of one rhesus macaque monkey with those from another, fertilized the eggs with sperm, transferred the resulting embryos into animals’ wombs and produced four apparently healthy offspring.

研究人員利用複製技術研發出一種方法，可以用一隻恆河猴卵子基因取代另一隻恆河猴大部分卵子基因，再讓這些卵子和精子受精，之後再把培育出來的胚胎移植到猴子子宮中，並生出四隻顯然很健康的後代。

The technique was developed for women who carry disorders caused by defects in a form of DNA passed only from females to their children, and the researchers said they hoped the work will eventually translate into therapies for people.

這項技術是為那些帶有一種基因遺傳缺陷所引發疾病的婦女所開發的，這種基因缺陷只會從母親傳給子女，研究人員表示，他們希望這項研究成果最後得以轉移為人類治療。

“We believe this technique can be applied pretty quickly to humans and believe it will work,珣said Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, who led the work published online by the journal Nature.

位於波特蘭的俄勒岡衛生與科學大學的米塔利波夫說：「我們確信，這項技術將可以很快運用到人類身上，我們也相信可以行得通。」他領導發表在《自然》期刊網路上的這項研究。

Many scientists hailed the research as a technically impressive feat that could help many families rid themselves of a variety of disorders caused by defects in genetic material known as mitochondrial DNA.

很多科學家讚揚這項研究是一項醫療技術的重大成就，可以幫助很多家庭不致再罹患因通稱為粒線體DNA的基因物質缺陷所引發的各種不同疾病。

But the work also raises a variety of potentially thorny ethical and legal issues, including creating offspring with DNA from two mothers and a father. “With this you have potentially three genetic parents,珣said David Magnus, director of Stanford University’s Center for Biomedical Ethics.

但這項研究也引起各種可能引發的棘手倫理和法律問題，包括所生出的子女DNA來自兩個母親和一個父親。史丹福大學生物醫學倫理中心主任馬格納斯說：「這使你可能變成有三個基因父母。」

If applied to people, the work would also alter a family’s genes in a way that would be passed down for generations, which would violate a longstanding taboo in altering the so-called germline because of the potential of unforeseen consequences. Some ethicists worry, too, that germline genetic manipulation would give rise to a market in elective genetic enhancements.

如果應用到人類身上，這項研究也會改變一個家族的基因，在某種程度上代代相傳，這將破壞長久以來不能改變所謂種系的禁忌，因為這可能導致前所未見潛在的後遺症。有些倫理學家也擔心，人為篡改種系基因將產生一個選擇性基因遺傳增強的市場。

The researchers acknowledged the work might raise ethical questions, but said those needed to be balanced against the potential benefits.

研究人員認知，這項研究可能引發倫理問題，但指稱這可以和可能產生的效益抵消。

Mitochondrial DNA is found inside structures in cells called mitochondria, which are often referred to as the power plants or batteries for cells because they provide energy for cell growth and other functions. Defects in this DNA may cause rare disorders and can sometimes be involved in more common disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.

粒線體DNA是在稱為粒線體的細胞結構裡發現，粒線體通常被指為細胞發電廠或電池，因為它們可以提供細胞生長和其他功能所需的能量。這個粒線體DNA基因缺陷可能引起罕見的疾病，有時則會涉及比較常見的疾病，包括老人失智症（阿滋海默症）、巴金森氏症及亨丁頓舞蹈症。

Thus, the four baby monkeys created in a laboratory in the United States could hold the key to the eradication of a class of incurable genetic diseases, scientists revealed. In the experiment that brings the creation of babies with three biological parents a step closer, Spindler, Spindly and twins Mito and Tracker were born through IVF using a technique that should make it possible to prevent women who carry genetic disorders of the mitochondria from passing them on to their children.

因此，遺傳學家透露，美國實驗室誕生的四隻小猴子，可能握有根治某類無法治療的遺傳病的關鍵。美國這項實驗使培育「一父二母」的猴寶寶的可能性向前邁進一步，在該實驗中，透過使用某種技術進行試管受精，史賓德勒、史賓德利及雙胞胎米托（圖左）和特拉克（圖右耟美聯社）誕生了，而這種技術應可防止患有粒線體基因遺傳病的婦女，將這類疾病遺傳給子女。



Defects in mitochondria affect about one in 6,500 births in the UK and can cause about 50 known diseases, such as fatal liver failure, stroke-like episodes, blindness, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and deafness.

英國每6500名新生兒就有一名患有粒線體基因缺陷，這種缺陷會引起50種已知的疾病，像致命的肝功能衰竭、類中風發作症候群、失明、肌肉萎縮症、糖尿病及失聰。

This is the first time that primates have been genetically modified in this way. The fact that healthy offspring have been produced, paves the way for the use of the techniques in humans. But the research will reignite the debate over genetic engineering and so-called "designer babies".

這是靈長類動物首次以這種方式進行基因改造。而誕生健康後代的事實，已經為這種技術運用在人類身上鋪路。但這項研究勢必再引發圍繞基因工程及所謂「設計嬰兒」之類的辯論。

British scientists who developed a similar technique using mice provoked controversy last year when they revealed they had created 10 human embryos each containing DNA from one man and two women. The one-celled embryos, created at the University of Newcastle, were destroyed within days, as required by law.

英國一些科學家已經用老鼠做實驗開發類似的技術。去年，當他們披露已培育出十個人體胚胎，其中每個胚胎都有來自一父二母的DNA時，引起爭議。在英國新堡大學培育出來的這些單細胞胚胎，數天後就被依法銷毀。

Recognising the "devastating effects" of mitochondrial diseases, the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, which comes into force on 1 October, allows for secondary legislation to permit treatment of mitochondrial diseases should therapies become available.

充分認識粒線體基因疾病的「毀滅性影響」，新「人工生殖和胚胎法案」10月1日生效，該法案允許通過衍生法，在療法確認後，准許治療粒線體遺傳疾病。

Dr Mitalipov, who led the research team, said: "With the governmental approvals, our work can rapidly be translated into clinical trials for humans, and, eventually, approved therapies." He accepted the research was controversial because it involved making the genetic changes that could be passed down generations. He said: "We are talking about birth defects that cause terrible diseases. The only way to treat them is to replace these genes."

領導該研究小組的米塔利波夫博士稱：「得到政府批准，我們的研究工作就能迅速推進到人類臨床試驗階段，最後相關療法並獲得批准。」他承認，這項研究由於涉及可以遺傳給後代的基因改變，的確具有爭議性。他說：「我們談的是導致可怕疾病的出生缺陷。而唯一的療法，就是取代這些有缺陷的基因。」

Dr Marita Pohlschmidt, director of research at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: "We welcome these new advances and believe affected families should be offered the choice of having a healthy child."

「肌肉萎縮症運動」組織研究主任瑪麗塔‧波施米特博士說：「我們對這些新進展表示歡迎，我們認為，受影響的家庭應該有權選擇生個健康寶寶。」