Couples are to be offered a simple test to prevent them passing on up to 100 genetic diseases to their children in a breakthrough which experts said could lead to ‘back door eugenics’.
The £700 saliva-testing kit, which could be available at a British fertility clinic within weeks, is billed as having the power to ‘end preventable diseases’ such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia.
They would be able to ask for embryos to be ‘screened out’ through IVF treatment or abortion if the parents were discovered to be passing on one or more of the dieases.
Couples could also opt against having children if they are tested before they conceive.
Its inventors, who also plan to sell it over the internet, say that by taking the test couples will protect their future children from the pain and indignity of serious and incurable diseases.
But critics, including members of the Government’s genetics watchdog, point out that many of the diseases are too rare for most people to need testing and warn that elimination of disease has eugenic undertones.
The test is the brainchild of experts at Californian company Counsyl, whose founders include a computer scientist turned Morgan Stanley banker.
Couples planning to start a family give samples of saliva which are screened for genetic mutations that could cause life-threatening illnesses in any children they go on to have.
Those with a family history of conditions such as cystic fibrosis are already entitled to screening on the NHS.
But the new test will inform couples about the risks of scores of other diseases, including some which affect fewer than 10 babies born in the UK each year.
The test, which will cost about £400 per person or £700 per couple, will show whether people are carrying mutant genes behind 109 genetic diseases.
People who have a single copy of the genes are not normally affected themselves, but if there partner is also a carrier, their children have a one in four chance of being ill.
If the results show that both prospective parents have the genetic flaw, they could choose to have IVF and screen their embryos, so that only healthy ones are transferred into the womb.
Other options include sperm or egg donation or adoption.
Some women may opt for a natural pregnancy, followed by a genetic test, and an abortion, if the baby they are carrying is found to have the rogue genes.
Counsyl says that while each individual disease is rare, one in three people will carry the DNA for at least one.
Balaji Srinivasan, the firm’s president and Harvard law graduate, told the Times: ‘It is something that should be on the radar of every adult before having a child.
‘Just as you know not to drink alcohol or smoke while pregnant, you should know you can screen against genetic disease.
‘Couples have a fundamental right to know their carrier status and to make reproductive decisions on the basis of that status without outside interference.’
The Bridge Fertility Clinic in central London is considering offering the tests to its patients, in combination with genetic counselling.
Scientific director Alan Thornhill said the diseases tested for were ‘pretty horrible’ and by rolling more than 100 tests into one, the kit offered ‘a lot for your money’.
He added: ‘The crucial thing is that you shouldn’t offer a genetic test without the patients having as much information as possible – before testing, during testing and after the test.
‘We all know that when you are waiting for a test result, and it is negative, it is not a big deal. It is when it is positive that you need the concern and the support.’
Addressing fears the technique could be abused to create ‘perfect’ babies, designed to order by eye colour, hair colour and intelligence, he said: ‘We are trying to avoid having problems, we are not trying to select for someone’s idea of a positive trait, such as blue eyes or intelligence.’
But Frances Flinter, a genetic testing expert from London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and a member of the Government’s Human Genetics Commission, said that claims of ‘ending’ or ‘eliminating’ genetic disease have a ‘very eugenic flavour’.
She said: ‘It is important to remember that some people carrying genetic diseases would not want testing.
‘And people who are affected by some of these genetic diseases would find a phrase and approach that suggests they aim to eradicate them as very offensive and I can understand why.’
Dr Flinter added: ‘If people want to do the most they can to have a healthy baby, my first piece of advice to them is to lead a healthy lifestyle.
‘Avoiding alcohol and smoking in pregnancy and having a healthy diet is going to have a far bigger effect on the future health of their babies than worrying about the extremely small chance of having a child with a very rare genetic disorder.’
Josephine Quintavalle, of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘We must develop cures for genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis (used to illustrate the story in today’s paper), not destructive ways of eliminating the carriers.’
Dr David King of Human Genetics Alert, questioned the accuracy of the test, and added: ‘What worries me is that we’ll get to a point where people are afraid to marry somebody and have children with them if they don’t know that person has the best genes.
‘That’s very dangerous.’
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