"On no we are not changing the nuclear DNA"... just the mitochondrial.

On BBC radio news today we were treated to the exciting news that mitochondrial DNA transplants were going to be legal in the UK.  This would, if successfully achieved cure inherited mitochondrial metabolic diseases at a swoop.  

BUT

This horrible pill (?) had to be sweetened with all those statement that this would not be changing "who we are" because it would not touch our DNA.  

Well, lots of things change who we are.  Getting cancer and dying changes who are you, getting cancer and surviving also changes who you are.  It changes who your family is too. All sorts of things change who you are.  All sorts of things change the DNA.

For most diseases we really don't know enough about how the genes go wrong (but frequently we know that they do).  Even if we do... correcting that DNA is coming, but will be tricky. 

But should we change the nuclear DNA if we could??

Hell Yes!