Aurea is like any other toddler. She likes to play with toys that look like phones. When her parents use theirs, she likes to copy them. She is the world's first PGT-P baby and she is less likely to develop a genetic disease or disorder than the rest of us.
Preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders is referred to as "PgT-P". Prospective parents can choose which of their own embryos to take based on the strength of their genes. Aurea's embryo was the strongest candidate because it had the least recognizable genetic quirks that could lead to disease. The genetic screening process was a no-brainer for the two of them. You want to do something for your child if you can. People take vitamins during their pregnancies.
Parents want their children to be healthy, but there are reasons to be afraid of it. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many more can be caused by our genes. One could be forgiven if they assumed that Rafal or Thuy wanted to break the chain. He decided to give it a try because he knew that there was a chance that it would work.
He refers to himself as a "techno-optimist" and is a neurologist. He wants to have his brain stored in a way that will allow it to be resurrected when he dies. He sees genetic screening of embryos as a natural next step for humans. It was a unique moment, but it was just the beginning of something that now everyone does. This kind of testing will not be controversial in a decade. There will be people doing it.
The first of a couple of US companies to open up genetic screening services to prospective parents was Genomic Prediction. A full genetic picture of the embryo can be created with the help of a set of markers from the embryo cells. A projection of what level of health a child born with those genes might enjoy is created by this fast-forwarding. Each embryo is given a health score based on its genes which could potentially one day be life limiting and the would-be parents are shown how that score compares against the population average. The severity of conditions, as well as the ethnicity of the embryo, can affect the incidence of disease.
The cells they chose to give the best chance at living a long, disease-free life were from Aurea. Aurea will have access to the full set of data when she's older. Rafi bought a home testing kit for her and will use that information to guide her approach to health and lifestyle through her life. Rafal hopes she will be happy about it.
People are asking if I am trying to play God in choosing to do this. He believes that genetic selection works as a mechanic on machines that need to be fixed. Good genes are not a guarantee for a long and healthy life, and even if you carry an abnormality or have a hereditary disease, it doesn't mean you will have a poorer quality of life. Rafal doesn't believe that passing on bad genes is a good thing. He believes that he has done the best thing for his child by giving her the best chance of survival. As parents, we act as the health champion of our children, and it makes sense to treat genes not as mysterious predictors of identity, but something that you know is there and is important, and these are the same principles I apply in trying to take good care of my own health. He says that the process was successful, his child was born healthy, and she is happy.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
