In the recent development, couples in Britain are reportedly taking advantage of a legal loophole to grade their embryos based on polygenic screening predictions for complex traits of IQ, height and health.
As reported by The Guardianthe main motive is to select embryos based on their DNA.
However, this practice is not allowed in UK fertility clinics and concerns are emerging that the method is unproven.
In some cases, patients have requested the raw genetic data of their embryos and sent them worldwide for further analysis.
The polygenic screening technique is effective for couples undergoing IVF in the UK
Herasight, a US company, has initially charged couples $50,000 (£37,000) to carefully examine an unlimited number of embryos.
The company confirmed it had already worked effectively with couples undergoing IVF in Britain.
On the contrary, Avenues has two patients who wanted to use Heraight’s service without intervention from the clinic.
A 29-year-old woman was quite hopeful about reducing the risk of diseases, such as diabetes, and picking embryos with a high predicted IQ.
According to one patient, people are willing to spend a lot of money and grief to give their children a slightly better life after birth.
The tests performed on embryos are limited to a list of serious health problems, such as Huntington’s disease, sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis.
It has been observed that clinics cannot perform polygenic screening for the purpose of embryo selection.
According to the CEO of the HFEA, polygenic tests were illegal for use in Britain.
He further said: “Licensed clinics in Britain are responsible for selecting embryos based on what is permitted in the HFE Act and are therefore prohibited from offering such tests and subsequent treatments.”
There is nothing to stop a British-based couple from efficiently carrying out such tests and treatments, but a British-licensed clinic cannot make specific decisions about which embryo to transfer based on that information.
At this point there are more moral dilemmas, including the potential for a hierarchical society in which wealthier people pay to select the embryos they prefer, and the prospect of standardizing the belief that some individuals are genetically superior.
In addition, Herasight confirmed in a statement that it has been working with patients internationally, including families who have undergone IVF treatment in Britain.
The company can do this by revolutionizing the routine PGT-A data that parents have identified and provided, which customers can use under data protection laws in Britain, Europe and around the world.
