The DNA test claims to let prospective parents weed out IVF embryos with a high risk of disease or low intelligence.
Pick a baby: The test, dubbed “23andMe, but on embryos,” is being offered by a New Jersey startup company called Genomic Prediction. It claims it can use DNA measurements to predict which embryos from an IVF procedure are least likely to end up with any of 11 different common diseases. It says it will release case studies on its first clients in the next few weeks. It also says it can predict which embryos will be among the most or least intelligent groups of the population.
Inspiration: The test is straight out of the science fiction film Gattaca, a movie which inspired the startup’s CEO Laurent Tellier. It raises all sorts of questions about eugenics and parenting, and has faced intense criticism from some genetics researchers.
But, but: It’s new and unproven, and there’s very little evidence the tests will work as advertised. Read the full story.