8 babies spared from potentially deadly inherited diseases through new IVF 'mitochondrial donation' trial A groundbreaking trial in the U.K. has released data on eight babies born through a special IVF procedure to lower their risk of mitochondrial DNA disease. Mitochondria (pictured) carry unique DNA, but when that DNA is mutated, it can cause incurable diseases. A new trial looks at a way of lowering the risk of those conditions. (Image credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images). Mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, contain their own special DNA that gets passed from mother to child - but that DNA can sometimes carry mutations, causing diseases for which there are currently no cures. Now, in a new clinical trial, eight babies who had a high risk of inheriting such diseases from their moms appear to have been spared, thanks to an emerging technique called "mitochondrial donation." The approach used in the trial has been in development for many y...