Nucleus genomics, a genetic testing startup, established by 25 -year -old Qian Spouse, Initially launched in 2021 With the goal of calculating a patient’s risk for specific diseases.
But it has been disputing with years with products that claim to tell people how their genetics are related to hosting complex issues including their IQ.
On Wednesday, it brought the controversy to an earpluting level when it announced a new product called nucleus fetus. With a tweet He said: “Every parents want to give their children more than they had. For the first time in human history, nucleus adds a new tool to that commitment.”
Nucleus says that it can not only test IVF fetus for famous specific genes, which have high probability of diseases like breast cancer, but also for appearance-sex, height, hair color, eye color as well as IQ and complex health characteristics such as anxiety and ADHD.
The launch video includes the comparison menu screenshot. The idea is to help the parents to choose which fetus to choose and which, perhaps, to abandon.
The genetic test of the fetus is not unheard. IVF doctor Can test for Jean who can cause conditions such as Down syndrome, or when parents know that they are highly risk for a particular genetic disorder, such as cystic fibrosis.
But it is not at all what the nucleus is doing. A spokesperson states that it is using “controversial” controversial “polygenic scores” like “complex genetic consequences, such as intelligence and anxiety.
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, polygenic scores only calculate the possibilities of a certain complex disease, mainly within the population. “A polygenic risk score can only explain the relative risk for a disease,” NHGR saysThis is not the same as a specific gene discovery, such as BRCA1 gene mutation, which gives a person to 60% to 80% “full risk of breast cancer”, says NHGR.
One reason doctors usually do not use such tests for individuals. “Polygenic risk scores are not yet regularly used by health professionals because there are no guidelines for practice and researchers are still improving how these scores arise, according to NHGR.
The nucleus protects that its method can be used to determine a person’s risk. The spokesperson indicates us A 2018 paper Where authors said that they have developed valid methods for five common diseases: coronary artery disease, atrium fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, inflamed bowel disease and breast cancer.
This paper was advocating screening to help individuals similar to the initial concept of nucleus.
Wednesday’s tweet was promising parents that the nucleus could help them to make designer babies. Now it has been viewed more than 4 million times and has hundreds of comments, many of them are either expressing mistrust that it has been promised, or is scary on the idea.
One VC chimmed In the discussion, saying, “I was going to type something like Noah, but honestly the reality of this makes me so nausea.”
The nucleus has previously experienced such a dispute, as Techcrunch was reported earlierWhen it announced its $ 14 million series earlier this year. The startup is supported by Founders Fund; Alexis Ohanian 776; And angels, including Adrian EON (CEO in Forward Health), Brent Saunders (East CEO in Allergan), and Matio Francanti (CEO in eight sleep).
Last year, simplicity launched the nucleus IQ, which is about to tell users how much their genetics affect the intellect. The product was destroyed As “poor science and big business” By some critics. Saddigi Published a long defense The functioning of his company.
Nevertheless, telling adults that they are genetically smart is one thing. Tell IVF parents that they can choose the appearance and other complex characteristics for their children, Will debate manySomething else.
Nucleus Currently IVF is not doing such tests through lab partners Report of Wall Street Journal himself. It is partnering with genomic prediction, which works with IVF clinics. A genomic executive told WSJ that many parents request intelligence tests, and do not provide it. If they want to pursue it, parents can voluntarily upload genetic data information on the nucleus.
Or, as Sadiggi said in the launch video, its purpose would be: “It is not that long ago, IVF -1 provoked fear and test tube infants,” he said. “Once controversial was now a daily practice. The same is true with genetic adaptation. The technology is now here and it is to live here.”
