Blog: Designer babies: are we heading for a Gattaca society?

July 1, 2009

Last October, I broke news of a very exciting new technique for genetic screening of embryos. Genome-wide karyomapping, developed by Alan Handyside, of the Bridge Centre in London, potentially marks a step change for the field, as it has the capacity to transform the range of genetic mutations and variations that can be detected.

Critically, there is no need to know the precise sequence of a mutation or variation for which you wish to test. Instead, SNPs and haplotypes are used to track how an embryo’s chromosomes are put together, and whether sections that include the DNA in which you’re interested have been passed on. (Times Online)