I think one of the things that will happen in the coming years is that we'll see a far greater democratization of the IVF process. At the moment, although you can get it on the NHS, it's very patchy and maybe just one or possibly two treatments. So with this technology, with things like pre-implantation genetic testing, and indeed the whole of IVF, what we need to do is to bring the cost down such that we democratize the process. And while we need to ask ourselves the ethical questions along the way, what do you find most exciting about it?
The pioneering IVF procedure known as mitochondrial donation therapy (MDT) could prevent children from being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Darren Griffin, an expert in genetic diseases and reproduction, about how MDT works, the ethical considerations attached, and what techniques like it could mean for the future of reproduction. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod