so the mitochondria actually are quite important.rwise, there wouldn't be this need because people who have defective mitochondria, have several disease issue. mied mitethey also have other implications at the cellular development level. no, it isn't actually a way to change the things we think of making us who we are-- eye color, hair color, intelligence, athletic ability-- all the kinds of things we might think of in the so-called designer baby problems. it wouldn't do that. it's really picking up a healthy population of mitochondria and replacing that for those that are diseased. and a way forward which we think we've crafted which allows a responsible, ethically acceptable way forward but with great precaution and numerous restrictions. >> brangham: i'm just curious, we mentioned this is a relatively small number of people who would use this. how many people are we talking about? >> in the hundreds of people across the entire country. and part of that is because it's a very homogeneous disease. it's really hard to detect and diag

if the mitochondria are damaged in the muses, it c cause palysis. it also causes immune suppression in these crabs. meaning that they are much more susceptible to bacterial infections and fungal infections when co-exposed with imidloprid. >> craig downs also studies the impact of imidacloprid on sea urchins. >> neonicotinoids cause dna damage in sea urchin sperm as low as 500 parts per trillion. it causes developmental abnormalities as low as 5 parts per trillion. it means that they're a mutagen. um, it means there's a direct threat to the reproductive fitness of the entire biodiversity of marine environments. if you have damage to sperm or if you have damage to eggs,he next neration ill not as fit might n come into existen at all. um, so it threatens sterility. >> the meso-american reef stretches 700 miles from the northern tip of mexico's yucatan peninsula to honduras. it is ho to a wi diversi ofarine li. and drdowns und its contanated wi neoniconoids laely as a result runoff om agricultural fields. >> 8 years ago, a coral reef organi-wide suey wa

. >> an incredibly rare deorder of mitochondria. over time, the cells and die and fail because they have incapable of making energy. caitlin: now his doctors at duke are managing anemia and keeping his blood count up with transfusions. he is on medication to prevent over day infections. past that, he is at risk for problems with his heart, kidneys, eyes, ears and brain. >> he is normal and healthy right now. knowing in the future that, it's likely to change is, i think the hardest thing. reporter: and there is no known cure and time is running out. >> there is, life expectancy is that jeff and elizabeth refuse to accept, which is why they created the champ foundation to raise money to fund research for a cure. >> through the course of william's treatment it was ever accident, there were talented as far as where they were to want to be looking at this problem, but found it difficult to get the funding. >> as a parent it is the hardest thing to hear, money that is holding back something that is cure your baby. reporter: they work tire

pwell because remember it's the pon the that mitochondria to her poffspring. pwhat they are saying if they phave male child that male child pwould not have at ability to a ass on any of this new or you pknow, third person mitochondrial pgenetic information to the next pgeneration. pthat way if there's any mistakes por problems it would stop right pthere with that male child. pthe created one? p>> correct. p>> correct. p>> such a strange idea. pit's complicated. pbut right now no funding for pthis. pso even though, they are papproved to study, there's no pmoney. pcongress doesn't have any money pfor it. pso right nowths going to be on phold. pths not going to happen ptomorrow. pdo you think this could lead to pthe proverb up slippery slope? pwhere does the issue lie? pwell there's always a slippery pslope. pthis particular case, when you plook at what they are trying to pdo, you see, what they are ptrying to prevent wow, this pwould be amazing for these arents to be able to have a pchild in this manner. pbut yes always that slippery pslope. pus it may not be un

. >> it is a disorder of the mitochondria. the cells could die and fail >> for the doctors, they are managing the anemia that led to the discovery and keeping his one count of with regular transmission. he is on medication aimed at combating everyday infections that could be fatal for him. he is also facing problems with his heart, years, kidneys, i down the road. >> knowing the future is going to change is the hardest thing for me right now. >> worst of all is the fact that there is no known cure, and time is running out. >> the life expectancy is about three years old, four years old. >> it is a devastating reality they refuse to accept, which is why they have created a foundation to raise money to fund research for better treatment and hopefully a cure. >> it became evident that there were talented researchers with the resources that wanted to be looking into this problem. but they found it difficult to find the funding. hear, that it is money holding back the research. >> while they worked to raise awareness, they are also

. >> it's a rare disorder of mitochondria. it means over time, these cells can die and fail because they're incapable of making energy and that can often lead to complications in lots of different organ systems. caitlin: for now, his doctors at duke are managing the anemia that led to the discovery and keeping his blood count up with he's on medications aimed at preventing everyday infections that could be fatal for him. past that, he's at risk for problems with his heart, kidneys, eyes, ears and brain down the road. >> he's healthy right now, and knowing in the future that's likely to change i think is the hardest thing for me right now. caitlin: worst of all is the fact that there's currently no known cure and time is running out. >> pearson's life expectancy is about three to four years. caitlin: it's a devastating reality jeff and elizabeth refuse to accept which is why they created the chance foundation, to raise money to fund research for better treatment and hopefully a cure. >> they were talented researchers with the r

near infrared light through the forehead gets to the powerhouse, um, of the cell which are the mitochondria and leads to more are close to the source of light. >> reporter: dr. castano says the light decreases inflammation in the brain and increases connections between neurons all of which seems to help a person feel better. it's still experimental but jeri believes the treatment works. >> you know i'm functioning. i'm working and busy. >> reporter: another novel approach also at mass. general the use of small doses of the anesthetic drug ketamine. the drug can be administered as a nasal spray which has been used to treat bipolar disorder in young people. >> a lot of people don't realize that it's a treatable condition and they can feel better and sometimes as quickly as a few weeks. >> reporter: depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the u.s. and it's likely caused at least in part by a chemical imbalance in the brain. and as dr. cusin said, you don't have to suffer because in most cases, depression is treatable. dr. max gomez, cbs 2 news. >> the infrared light used for d