The Islamic Ethics of Mitochondria Transplantation

Abstract

Biotechnology has opened a new chapter with the advent of mitochondria transplantation for cell-based therapy. Mitochondrial transplantation was successfully led to birth; however, cytoplasmic transplantation has caused apprehension, since the mixing of human ooplasm from two different maternal sources may generate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy in the offspring. Islamic legal verdicts on human cloning and somatic cell transfer have been overweighing explicit as to its prohibition, due to the change of creation, mixing of lineage and other evaluations. Is mitochondria transplantation equivalent to human cloning in that genetic information is proliferated and does it, therefore, take the same legal rule? Are there possible benefits (masalih) for medical treatment that may render mitochondria transplantation permissible, or are possible harms (mafasid) overweighing? Or is it a completely different procedure, taking a different rule? The paper will investigate into these questions and discuss the dimensions of Islamic ethics on the issue.Â

Psychological and Societal Impacts of Unknown Descent and The Islamic Objective of Nasab. A Preliminary Study of Chosen Biomedical Technologies

“…Mitochondria dysfunctions have been implicated in several diseases, including mitochondrial disorders, cardiac dysfunction, heart failure and autism. 64 Embryonic mitochondria transplantation intends to replace the dysfunctional, unhealthy mitochondria of the intended mother, who is the only mitochondria carrier, with the healthy mitochondria DNA of a female donor. This may take place in two ways: i) through maternal spindle transfer (MST), where the mitochondria of the affected egg cell is exchanged with healthy donor mitochondria before fertilization.…”

“…Adult mitochondria transfer, to the best of our knowledge, has so far taken place in vitro only. 64 Mitochondria transplantation is therefore a biomedical technique that leads to a mixing of genetic material. Children resulting from this procedure have been dubbed "three parent babies".…”

İki Kadın Bir Bebek: Tıbbi, Etik ve Hukuki Yönleri ile Mitokondri Değiştirme Tedavileri

“…Bu genler, tüm bedenimizdeki toplam DNA'nın küçük bir kısmını, %0,1'inden azını kapsamaktadır. Mitokondrinin genetik katkısı küçük olmakla birlikte, işlevini yerine getiremediğinde bunun sonuçları ciddidir (4,5). Mitokondriyal gen defekti ve buna bağlı mitokondriyal işlev bozukluğu semptom ve şiddeti değişen çeşitli hastalık ve sendromlara neden olur.…”