Genetic selection of embryos: From science fiction to commercial reality (Category Science)

I came across a post about a startup yesterday. Nucleus GenomicHe presented a revolutionary platform. Nucleus EmbryoIt allows parents to analyze the genetic profiles of embryos in IVF and choose the most suitable ones for implantation. It reminded me of the dystopian world depicted in the cult film.gattaca" 1997 years. But let's talk about the product first, and then remember Gattaku.

Nucleus Embryo is a genetic optimisation software that allows parents to analyze prior to birth. 20 more than 900 hereditary diseases, as well as 40 additional parameters, including the risk of cancer, chronic diseases, physical characteristics, cognitive abilities and even eye color. This solution is based on full genome sequencing. (WGS) with a depth of 30x, which provides analysis 100% of DNA compared to less than 0,1It's a competitor like 23andMe. The company claims to be sequencing in 1000 More DNA than traditional consumer tests, providing unprecedented accuracy in genetic analysis. If we talk about the approach itself, it is polygenic screening of embryos. (PES)based on the calculation of polygenic risk estimates (PRS) for each embryo. Estimates are calculated by summarizing the effects of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of DNA variants that vary between individuals. Modern. research They show that the effectiveness of such selection is limited, since most selections occur between embryos of the same parents, which significantly limits both genetic and environmental variability.

Let’s draw parallels with the movie.gattaca", which shows what social stratification based on genetics may look like. In this world, society was divided into "valid" (genetically enhanced) and "disabled" (naturally born)The latter have limited access to education, work and even marriage. The main character of the film, Vincent Freeman, is just a second-class man. He's short-sighted, has a congenital heart defect, and a genetic test promises him approximately 30 years of life. But Vincent has a dream - to fly into space. And we watch the whole film as he goes to his dream, overcoming the limitations of the world around him at the expense of his will and work on himself.

Extrapolating from modern technology (ala Nucleus Embryo)It is clear that they create the conditions for a similar stratification. Although genetic discrimination is formally prohibited, the economic barriers to accessing genetic care can lead to privileged segments of society being able to pass on their benefits to children through biological mechanisms. This could lead to the naturalization of privileges justified by scientific predictions. Polygenic embryo breeding services are already offered to consumers by at least four companies. 5 The first child to undergo PES was born. However, existing technologies have significant limitations. Research shows that polygenic selection in general is not very useful in targeting complex health characteristics – there is a problem with optimizing across multiple criteria. (Genetic risks of growth, IQ, eye color and various diseases)So making a decision becomes difficult. I think that we will come to the creation of profiles of the kind: “athlete”, “scientist”, “poet”, “centenarian”, in which combinations of criteria will be sewn, and there will be a separate opportunity to play with filters:))

In conclusion, the world of Gattaki is almost here, although current technologies have not yet reached the level of precision and comprehensive control, they already allow significant interference with the genetic makeup of future generations. With this in mind, it is interesting to follow the discussion of the ethical framework for the development of these technologies, which can easily outpace the social and ethical debate around genetic modification.

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