Startup offers DNA screening and creates virtual babies for customers
Two days after Anne to be double S. take home your newborn, received a chilling call. On the other end of the line, a stranger asked him if he was sure that his son was alive. Be double s. ran into the bedroom of a child to understand, with relief, that the baby was breathing, but the call he received from a doctor, indicating that a routine screening had revealed that her baby had been born with a rare genetic mutation and often fatal.This condition, the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency of medium-chain (MCADD, English acronym), is caused by mutations in a gene involved in the metabolism of fat. Some babies who are born with a severe version of the mutation do not live more than 15 days, once your body is unable to obtain energy from fat by normal methods, when sugar reserves are exhausted."The first year was a mixture of anxiety and sleepless nights. I was worried that he might not wake up the next morning. I was worried when I got sick and didn't want to eat, "said to be double S., cited by the Guardian. However, once the genetic mutation of Alec was caught early, the child has a high probability of living a long and healthy life.This occurred six years ago. However, those days were the beginning of something bigger to be double S. Anne. When surveyed about the son's mutation discovered that Alec had inherited the condition through a coincidence. The MCADD is a very rare condition. However, both be double S. as the sperm donor who used were carriers of genetic mutation. Mutations like this may be rare, but there are many and when the genes that carry are combined may affect millions of people.However, be double S. is working on a way to minimize this likelihood of having a child with a serious illness or genetic mutation, so that other parents do not have to go through the agony.Along with business partner, Lee Silver, a scientist at Princeton University, in the United States, be double S. will launch a company called Genepeeks. This startup will use the DNA of sperm donors and the DNA of the expectant mothers to create "virtual babies". These virtual descendants can be sorted for hundreds of genetic diseases, allowing discard donors whose combination of DNA with the future pregnant represents a risk for future child. The ultimate goal of the Genepeeks is that the technology could be available for any couple who wants kids.This technology-which they called Matchright â€" might change the rules of the game of medical technology of reproduction, allowing the parents to obtain detailed analysis of possible diseases of children without having to deal with a real pregnancy.However, it will allow an unprecedented glimpse of what the children of potential customers can be and can be used to detect other qualities or traits beyond diseases â€" such as the pain of the eyes and hair, height, propensity for obesity or even beauty. Since this new technology goes beyond the settings that are normally applied in testing with embryos, the method raises important ethical issues about privacy, choice of partner or donor and the role that the computation can play in the reproduction.In fact, she continues to explore paths that calls into question the surprise and even innocence of nature. Is this beneficial?What are digital babies?According to, be double S. "technology simulates the genetics of reproduction and literally creates sperm and eggs that give rise to digital digital babies". Subsequently, are sorted the possible diseases that these children may develop.Subsequently, the company uses this information to provide customers with your own catalog of sperm donors â€" the client hires us and we make various digital babies with each donor of our network and then filter all conjugations with high risk of disease, "explains Morris.The tria Matchright more than 600 recessive genetic mutations, when compared with the technologies used to test the donor sperm. According to be double S., this will be the first time in human history that these diseases may begin to be prevented. Together, diseases sorted by this new technology represent about 20% of child mortality and 18% of paediatric hospitalizations.The topic is controversial and we'd like you to comment on all our platforms: Web site, Facebook and Twitter. Share with us your opinion.Foto: iandeth/Creative Commons
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