Science Startup Pushes Boundaries of Ethics by Screening Embryos for Intelligence

Science startup Heliospect Genomics is marketing a contentious service that allows wealthy couples to screen their IVF embryos for traits like intelligence, raising ethical concerns among experts. The service costs $50,000 to screen 100 embryos.

The Guardian reports that undercover video footage has revealed that Heliospect Genomics, a US startup company, is offering to help affluent couples screen their IVF embryos for intelligence using controversial genetic selection techniques. The recordings, obtained by the leftist campaign group Hope Not Hate, show the company marketing its services at prices up to $50,000 for clients seeking to test 100 embryos, claiming to have already assisted some parents in selecting future children based on genetic predictions of intelligence.

According to the footage, Heliospect employees outlined how couples could rank up to 100 embryos based on traits such as IQ, sex, height, risk of obesity, and risk of mental illness. The startup claims its prediction tools were built using data provided by UK Biobank, a taxpayer-funded store of genetic material donated by half a million British volunteers for projects “in the public interest.”

While embryo selection based on predicted high IQ is illegal in the UK, it is legal in the US, where embryology is less strictly regulated. However, IQ screening is not yet commercially available in America. Leading geneticists and bioethicists have expressed concerns about the moral and medical issues raised by this project, questioning whether the public has had sufficient opportunity to engage in debate.

Heliospect’s Danish CEO, Michael Christensen, envisions a future where everyone can have “disease-free, smart, healthy” children through genetic selection. He speculates that the advent of lab-grown eggs could allow couples to create embryos on an industrial scale, handpicking an elite selection. However, when contacted for comment, Heliospect stated it would not condone such practices.

Heliospect was granted access to UK Biobank data in June 2023 for the purpose of improving the prediction of “complex traits,” without disclosing the intended commercial application of screening embryos or mentioning IQ. The company claims to have already analyzed and helped select embryos for five couples, with “babies on the way.”

The decision to grant Heliospect access to the UK Biobank data raises questions about the ethical criteria applied when granting research access. Experts suggest that UK Biobank and the UK government may need to consider imposing new restrictions to address concerns about preimplantation embryonic screening.

In response to the revelations, UK Biobank’s chief executive, Prof Sir Rory Collins, stated that Heliospect’s use of the data appears to be consistent with their access conditions and that by making data available, UK Biobank is allowing discoveries to emerge that would not otherwise have been possible, potentially saving lives and preventing disability and misery.