First baby born in trial of “three-parent” fertility treatment

The first baby has been born in a pilot trial of a controversial infertility procedure that uses genetic material from three people. A 32-year-old Greek woman gave birth to a six-and-a-half pound baby boy this week after multiple IVF failures led her to try the procedure known as mitochondrial replacement therapy. Both the mother and the infant are in good health, according to Embryotools, the Spanish company sponsoring the trial. The procedure — which involves using mitochondria from a donor egg, the intended mother’s nucleus, and sperm from the father — is banned in the U.S., but other countries, including the U.K. and Greece, allow it.