What if you could choose your child\u2019s future health and lifespan\u2014before they were even born?<\/p>\n
A U.S.-based biotech company claims to have developed the world\u2019s first genetic optimization software that allows parents pursuing IVF to select embryos with potentially lower risks of disease and better chances at a longer, healthier life.<\/p>\n
Nucleus Genomics, a DNA testing and analysis company, announced on Friday that its new technology \u201chelps parents pursuing IVF see and understand the complete genetic profile of each of their embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Genetic choices, ethical questions<\/p>\n
The software analyzes DNA data from up to 20 embryos, screening for over 900 hereditary conditions and offering insights into traits ranging from disease risk to physical features and cognitive ability.<\/p>\n
Parents receive detailed reports showing probabilities for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, various cancers, and mental health risks like depression and anxiety. The tool also provides information on likely eye color, hair color, height, and even IQ-related markers.<\/p>\n
Kian Sadeghi, founder and CEO of Nucleus Genomics, says the software aims to give parents more control over their child\u2019s genetic destiny and improve health outcomes. \u201cLifespan has dramatically increased in the last 150 years,\u201d Sadeghi told the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. \u201cDNA testing to predict and reduce chronic disease can make it happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Sadeghi founded the company following a personal tragedy involving the death of a young cousin, a preventable genetic disease, and an experience that shaped his vision of generational health.<\/p>\n \u201cCare can start before a child is even born,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nucleus plans to charge $5,999 for an analysis covering hundreds of conditions. Parents can also consult genetic counselors to better understand the complex results and make informed choices.<\/p>\n Medical and ethical perspectives<\/p>\n While IVF clinics routinely screen embryos for chromosomal abnormalities linked to conditions like Down syndrome, the use of polygenic risk scores\u2014which estimate risks based on many genes\u2014is not widely endorsed by medical societies.<\/p>\n These scores provide probabilities, not certainties, meaning embryos ranked as lower risk could still develop diseases, and vice versa.<\/p>\n Dr. Paula Amato, a fertility specialist at Oregon Health & Science University, noted concerns within the ethics community about how such rankings might affect societal views on children.<\/p>\n \u201cEthicists worry that these types of rankings will result in a society that doesn\u2019t value certain types of children,\u201d she told the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n However, Dr. Amato added that when patients choose embryos based on personal preferences beyond chromosomal abnormalities, \u201cthat\u2019s their prerogative. I won\u2019t stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n Nucleus has partnered with Genomic Prediction, a company that performs the initial genetic testing for IVF clinics. Genomic Prediction has tested over 120,000 embryos, with a subset also evaluated for polygenic risk scores. <\/p>\n The raw genetic data can be uploaded by parents to Nucleus for further analysis.<\/p>\n Other companies, like Orchid Health, are also exploring embryo genetic testing focused on longevity, reflecting growing interest within the longevity community in reducing inherited disease risks early on.<\/p>\n Balancing innovation and caution<\/p>\n Sadeghi, who started Nucleus Genomics in his parents\u2019 basement during the COVID-19 pandemic, sees embryo genetic<\/a> screening as an extension of personalized medicine\u2019s goal by putting health decisions into people\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n