Parents Can Select Healthy Embryos, Pre-Implantation Genetic Haplotyping

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Main Category: Genetics
Also Included In: Fertility;  Public Health
Article Date: 19 Jun 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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Parents with a high risk of having a child with a serious genetic disorder, such as cystic fibrosis, will be able to select healthy embryos through IVF as a result of new technology from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, UK.

The new test, called PGH (pre-implantation genetic haplotyping), takes a single cell from an IVF embryo. It can tell whether there is something wrong with the embryo. This procedure is useful, even for fully fertile couples who are concerned about their likelihood of having babies with genetic defects.

Current tests only screen for a single mutation. PGH identifies embryos who may have one of many serious genetic disorders, without necessarily knowing exactly what the disorder is - it screens for a much wider range of disorders than current screening does.

The embryos are screened for a genetic fingerprint of a disorder. This is done by taking one single cell from the embryo and amplifying it a million times in the lab. This amplification makes it less likely that the results are faulty. A genetic test is also carried out on the parents, and family members, usually children, who have and existing condition. The test soon identifies which chromosomes are faulty. The scientists then compare the faulty patterns with those of the embryo to see if there is a similarity. The test, in short, identifies whether the embryo's genes have picked up the fault.

PGH can also tell whether the embryo has the genetic condition or is just a carrier. If the embryo does not have the condition, as is not a carrier either, it is healthy.

So far this technique has been used with five couples. It could be used for thousands of people all over the world who have a higher risk of having babies with serious genetic conditions.

The scientists can only screen for serious genetic conditions. In order to widen the screening they would have to apply for a new licence.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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