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The controversial embryo tests that promise a better baby

Some companies offer tests that rank embryos based on their risk of developing complex diseases such as schizophrenia or heart disease. Are they accurate — or ethical?
  1. Max Kozlov
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Conceptual illustration showing a scientist looking into a crystal ball with an embryo inside.

Illustration by Paweł Jońca

“She has her mother’s eyes,” begins the advertisement, “but will she also inherit her breast cancer diagnosis?” The smooth voice in the video is promoting the services of Genomic Prediction, a US company that says it can help prospective parents to answer this question by testing the genetics of embryos during fertility treatment.

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Nature 609, 668-671 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02961-9

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 06 October 2022: An earlier version of this feature misquoted Matthew Rabinowitz as saying that diseases and disabilities are transferred from one generation to the next.

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