The Australian Academies of Health and Medical Sciences and the Australian Academy of Science submitted a joint response to the Australian Government’s consultation on mitochondrial donation in Australia, which outlined a two-stage strategy for introducing mitochondrial donation.
The academies’ response supported this cautious and measured approach, which balances risks and community concern with support for clinical research. The academies agreed that the Government’s proposal allows mitochondrial donation to be introduced in a manner that gives full scope to evaluate relevant issues such as informed consent, at-risk population screening, service delivery, cost, safety, community concerns, genetic and epigenetic consequences, and impacts on individuals and families.
The Academies’ full response can be downloaded below.