Embryonic Gene Screens Safe for Babies: Study
(cz) Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) — in which doctors remove a cell from three-day-old embryos to look for genetic disease — appears to pose no harm to babies, Belgian researchers report.
The procedure, first introduced in 1990, analyzes fertilized eggs for genetic problems prior to implantation in the mother’s womb, as happens in in vitro fertilization (IVF). But experts have worried that the procedure might pose a long-term safety risk to offspring, the BBC reported.
In the study, researchers at Brussels’ Free University say that 563 of the 583 babies in the study that underwent PGD were born alive — a rate that matches that of conventional IVF or another fertility procedure called ICSI, where sperm is injected into the egg.
PGD babies also had comparable birth weights to infants who did not receive the procedure, and the rate of birth defects or malformations was also similar between PGD, IVF and ICSI children at two months and two years of age.
The findings were published at a meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics. more…
From: »Forbes (Health Highlights)«