British Researchers Announce Development Of Rapid, Broad Genetic Testing Technique Of Embryos

Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 22 Jun 2006 - 15:00 PDT

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A team of British researchers on Monday announced they have developed a test that can rapidly detect certain genetic conditions in human embryos by looking for DNA "markers" or "fingerprints," Reuters reports (Reaney, Reuters, 6/18). According to London's Guardian, fertility clinics during in vitro fertilization procedures often have discarded male embryos created by couples with a history of many disease that only are inherited by boys, even though only about half of the male embryos have gene mutations that could lead to the diseases (Samle, Guardian, 6/19). Currently, some clinics offer couples the chance to test for about 200 "inherited defects," including the most common form of cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease, using a method called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, London's Times reports (Henderson, Times, 6/19). However, PGD can take up to one year to complete and has limited capacity in the disorders it can identify, including being able to identify only one of 1,000 mutations thought to cause cystic fibrosis. The new technique, called "preimplantation genetic haplotyping," looks for "markers" of genetic disorders in DNA "without having to zero in on specific mutations" and takes only two months to complete, according to the Press Association/Guardian (Press Association/Guardian, 6/19). PGH -- which extracts DNA from one of eight cells in an embryo three days after fertilization and replicates the DNA until there is enough to test -- was initiated by Saudi Arabian fertility specialist Ali al-Hellani in 2004 and has been developed by Pamela Renwick and colleagues at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London. The process costs about $7,540 and has the potential to expand the number of male-related genetic diseases for which fertility clinics can test from 200 to nearly 6,000 (Guardian, 6/19). In addition, the technique could be used to detect the presence of "defective gene[s]" in female embryos, London's Independent reports (Connor, Independent, 6/19).

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