A world-leading study of ‘three-parent IVF’ babies says none are showing signs of inherited mitochondrial disease in early childhood.

The New England Journal of Medicine research, published on Wednesday, sets up Australia to deliver the world’s next clinical trial of mitochondrial donation, says Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler.

An estimated 120,000 Australians carry mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) pathogenic variants, which are solely inherited from the mother and can risk severe and frequently fatal conditions in their offspring.

IVF pre-implantation genetic testing can lower the risk of severe mtDNA-related disease but does little for women whose eggs carry high levels of faulty mtDNA, either mixed in with healthy ones (heteroplasmy) or entirely the faulty type (homoplasmy).