An article titled “IOM panel green-lights mitochondrial replacement techniques” (published February 4, 2016) failed to correctly distinguish all forms of mitochondrial DNA disease.
The paragraph should have read: Dr. Falk also noted that roughly 30,000-60,000 Americans have a mitochondrial disease, although many others might be affected but have never been diagnosed or undergone confirmatory sequencing of their mitochondrial DNA. Many affected patients have a mutation in 1 of the 200 nuclear genes that can produce mitochondrial dysfunction and not in 1 of the 37 genes contained in mitochondrial DNA. Only women with a mutation in their mitochondrial DNA can benefit from MRT.
