'One-stop' embryo test unveiled
Monday, 27 October 2008
A gene mapping test could tell parents-to-be if embryos are affected by almost any inherited disease, UK scientists have claimed, reports BBC.
The team from London's Bridge Centre say the £1,500 test could detect any of the 15,000 inherited diseases in weeks.
Current tests are either focused on a specific gene mutation, or take a lot longer to give results.
But other experts warned the fertility regulator would have to ensure there were strict limits on the test's use.
If you can screen for anything, where do you draw the line? Dr Mark Hamilton, British Fertility Society
At the moment, clinics can test embryos before they are implanted in a woman's womb to see if they carry a specific genetic mutation, if a family is affected by a condition such as cystic fibrosis.
Another test was developed by a team at Guy's Hospital in London two years ago, which looks at genetic "fingerprint" by looking at a whole DNA of a cell.
But the claims for this new technique, called karyomapping which analyses chromosomes, is that it is a universal 'one size fits all' test. A single-cell is taken from an eight-day-old embryo, created using IVF. DNA samples are then taken from the parents - and their parents.
Usually, another member of the family, most likely a child affected by the relevant condition, also provides a sample.
All those family members' DNA is then compared, looking at 300,000 specific DNA markers, allowing scientists create a map of the family's genetics.
The team from London's Bridge Centre say the £1,500 test could detect any of the 15,000 inherited diseases in weeks.
Current tests are either focused on a specific gene mutation, or take a lot longer to give results.
But other experts warned the fertility regulator would have to ensure there were strict limits on the test's use.
If you can screen for anything, where do you draw the line? Dr Mark Hamilton, British Fertility Society
At the moment, clinics can test embryos before they are implanted in a woman's womb to see if they carry a specific genetic mutation, if a family is affected by a condition such as cystic fibrosis.
Another test was developed by a team at Guy's Hospital in London two years ago, which looks at genetic "fingerprint" by looking at a whole DNA of a cell.
But the claims for this new technique, called karyomapping which analyses chromosomes, is that it is a universal 'one size fits all' test. A single-cell is taken from an eight-day-old embryo, created using IVF. DNA samples are then taken from the parents - and their parents.
Usually, another member of the family, most likely a child affected by the relevant condition, also provides a sample.
All those family members' DNA is then compared, looking at 300,000 specific DNA markers, allowing scientists create a map of the family's genetics.