IVF parents are spending thousands to predict their babies' chances of having Alzheimer's, cancer and heart disease
Prospective parents using in vitro fertilization (IVF) will soon be able to select embryos based on their potential risk for diseases — including illnesses that develop later in life — thanks to a groundbreaking $5,999 service announced this week by a US biotech company.
'Before there's a heartbeat, there's DNA,' Kian Sadeghi, founder and chief executive of Nucleus Genomics, said in a statement. 'One file containing DNA and genetic markers can tell you more about your baby's future than any other test a doctor could possibly run at this stage.'
The popular fertility treatment involves removing eggs from a woman's ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab.
The resulting embryo — which could be frozen or fresh — is placed into the uterus, where it hopefully implants in the uterine wall and sparks a pregnancy.
Before implantation, many IVF clinics already screen embryos for genetic abnormalities — such as extra chromosomes or gene mutations — that can lead to failed implantations, miscarriages, birth defects or inherited disorders.
But the first-of-its-kind service from Nucleus Genomics takes things a step further.
The company just launched Nucleus Embryo, a new software platform that lets potential parents dig deep into the full genetic blueprint of their embryos before choosing which one to implant.
The tool lets IVF patients compare the DNA of up to 20 embryos, screening them for more than 900 conditions — including Alzheimer's, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and several forms of cancer.
It doesn't stop there.
The program also flags potential mental health conditions like depression and schizophrenia and even ranks cognitive traits like IQ.
Parents can also get a look at cosmetic and physical features, from height, baldness and BMI to eye and hair color.
The company isn't promising perfection.
Instead, the software generates a so-called polygenic risk score that will give parents the probability of how likely it is an embryo might develop certain traits or diseases.
Ultimately, it's up to the parents to decide which qualities matter most to them. For those looking to decode the results, genetic counseling sessions are available.
'Lifespan has dramatically increased in the last 150 years,' Sadeghi told the Wall Street Journal. 'DNA testing to predict and reduce chronic disease can make it happen again.'
The practice, known as polygenic embryo screening, is already highly controversial in the medical world, according to a report published by Harvard Law School's Petrie-Flom Center.
Critics warn that allowing parents to screen embryos for risks like depression or diabetes could deepen stigma and discrimination against people living with those conditions.
Meanwhile, disability advocates argue it promotes the harmful idea that disability is something to be fixed, not a natural part of human diversity.
And when it comes to choosing embryos for traits like intelligence or athleticism, critics say we're sliding into designer baby territory — a modern form of eugenics that favors the rich, reinforcing social and healthcare inequalities.
Still, the public appears open to some aspects of the tech.
A 2023 survey found that 77% of Americans support using it to screen embryos for the likelihood of developing certain physical conditions, while 72% back screening for mental health risks.
Proponents argue it's no different from vaccination — a preventive tool, not a judgment on those with the condition.
But when it comes to non-medical traits, support drops fast: only 36% back screening embryos for behavioral traits and just 30% for physical features like height or eye color.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Food assistance benefits are tied to slower cognitive decline in older adults, new study suggests
For older adults who may otherwise be food-insecure, participating in food assistance benefits may be associated with a slower cognitive decline as they age, according to new research. Compared with eligible people who were not participating in the US Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, SNAP participants showed a slower decline in cognitive function during a 10-year period, essentially maintaining up to three additional years of cognitive health, according to the study presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. 'We expected that SNAP might be protective for cognitive health based on prior research linking food insecurity to faster cognitive decline. But what did surprise us was the persistence of the effect over a decade — and the fact that the benefit was equivalent to preserving two to three extra years of cognitive health,' Linlin Da, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate in health services research at the University of Georgia, said in an email. 'This study is important because it shows that supporting basic needs like food access can have long-term benefits for brain health, something not widely recognized,' Da said. 'In a time when we're seeking ways to delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, this suggests that public health and social policy can play a role alongside medical approaches.' It's estimated that nearly 37% of SNAP participants are in households with older adults or people with disabilities, and on average, SNAP participants may receive an estimated $6.16 per day per person in benefits. SNAP, known previously as the Food Stamp Program, helped an average of more than 41 million low-income people in the United States in a typical month last year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Now, President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes the largest cuts to food stamps in the program's 86-year history, jeopardizing assistance for millions of people. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the law will reduce federal spending on SNAP by almost $187 billion over the next decade. Some public health experts worry that while cuts to SNAP would lead to budgetary savings, it also could produce higher rates of food insecurity and poorer health outcomes in the long run, according to the nonprofit KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. And some Democratic state leaders are warning about potential consequences. 'During a time when many American families are already struggling, food assistance programs such as SNAP are more essential than ever,' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release Tuesday. 'Under the veneer of 'cost savings,' the Trump Administration is slashing benefits and threatening the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, putting their health and welfare at risk. Our state deserves better.' The researchers on the new study, from the University of Georgia, analyzed data on more than 2,000 adults 50 and older across the United States. About half of them were enrolled in SNAP in 2010, and the other half were eligible for SNAP but did not participate in the program. Every two years between 2010 and 2020, the researchers interviewed the study participants to assess their cognition, memory and executive function, including their ability to carry out tasks or to plan. Each person was given a cognitive score based on the assessments. The assessments, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, showed that those enrolled in SNAP had a slower rate of cognitive decline in cognition, memory and executive function during the 10-year period. 'The decline in global cognitive function was 0.10 points slower per year for SNAP participants compared to nonparticipants,' Da said. 'While that may sound small, over a 10-year period, this adds up to about one full point of preserved cognition. To put it in clinical terms, this slower decline could delay the onset of mild cognitive impairment by nearly a decade for someone starting at a healthy cognitive baseline.' When the researchers analyzed their data by race and ethnicity, they found that there was a slightly faster decline in cognition and memory among Black and Hispanic adults compared with White adults, but no significant racial differences were observed for executive function. However, SNAP participation was linked with much stronger cognitive benefits and slower decline among the White adults. As a 10-year study, the new research covers 'a good length of time' to determine the benefits of diet and SNAP as associated with cognitive health, Dr. Shae Datta, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health and brand partner for the supplement company Qunol, said in an email. 'Having the means to buy nutritious food is important for preventing cognitive decline,' said Datta, who was not involved in the new study. 'This study suggested that SNAP participation, or any nutritional support program can delay the onset of cognitive impairment or dementia. Translating in a greater ability to manage their activities of daily living and remain independent longer.' While the new study suggests only an association between SNAP participation and cognitive decline, rather than a causal relationship, the researchers emphasized that not having adequate access to food can negatively affect cognitive function. SNAP participation may help improve someone's nutritional intake, thus potentially slowing cognitive decline. 'When people don't have access to healthy nutrition programs, they may have inadequate intake of, for example, brain healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, fish like lake trout, mackerel, herring, albacore tuna, sardines and wild salmon,' said preventive neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, who was not involved in the new study. 'Having a balanced diet can neutralize a lot of the risk elements related to developing cognitive decline. The way that I would think about this is, the Mediterranean-style diet is by far the most evidence-based when it comes to reducing the risk of cognitive decline,' Isaacson said. 'But a Mediterranean-style diet is rich in green, leafy vegetables. Vegetables are expensive. Fatty fish are expensive. So nutrition assistance programs can really fill the gap.' A Mediterranean-style diet includes mostly vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, lentils, whole grains and healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil and avocados. The diet may include a moderate amount of natural cheese and yogurt, but it is low in red meat and sugar. Overall, the potential health benefits of participating in a food assistance program for an older adult who otherwise would be food-insecure are based on whether that adult uses the program to access brain healthy foods while taking other steps to maintain cognitive health, said Isaacson, who established one of the first Alzheimer's prevention clinics in the United States. 'You can't eat a magic blueberry and think you're going to prevent Alzheimer's disease,' he said. 'Healthy nutrition, exercising on a regular basis, seeing a doctor regularly to control blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, vascular risk factors – you need to do all of these different things to have the most benefit.' CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
New drug could halt Alzheimer's
A new drug could halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Trials suggest the treatment, called trontinemab, could be the most powerful weapon yet against dementia. Research will now examine whether the drug should be given to those without any symptoms in order to prevent the disease. Results presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto found the 'game-changing' treatment can clear the devastating plaques associated with Alzheimer's far more rapidly than any current licensed drug. Nine in 10 patients prescribed trontinemab experienced amyloid clearance within 28 weeks, meaning visible markers of disease had vanished. Experts hope these changes will be matched by improvements in memory and functioning, with an 18-month trial of 1,600 patients now under way. Separate research will examine whether the drug could be given to people without any signs of dementia, in the same way that statins are used to ward off heart disease. On Monday, experts said the findings were 'very promising', suggesting that the drug was much more powerful than existing medications, with far fewer side effects. Around one million people in the UK suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common form. Powerful precise effects at low doses Trontinemab is one of a class of new medicines aimed at clearing amyloid plaques. The new findings from phase two trials suggest that, in less than seven months, it has outperformed the ability of existing drugs to clear plaques in 18 months. Experts hope that if given early enough, the drug could save some patients from developing symptoms at all. It has been engineered to more easily cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning it can ensure powerful precise effects at low doses. The lack of side effects means it could be offered to large populations. This also means it could be offered at a far lower price than current medications, which require intense monitoring, including regular scans. Experts believe it could become the first Alzheimer's drug to be funded by the NHS. Last year, medicines regulators in the UK gave the green light to the first two treatments found to slow progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both lecanemab and donanemab use monoclonal antibodies to clear amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease. In trials they have been found to slow decline by 27 per cent and 35 per cent respectively, over 18 months. However, the risk of brain swelling and brain bleeds means they need intense monitoring. The new drug appears to have a far better safety profile. The phase two trial of 149 patients found less than five per cent of cases suffering amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, and all cases quickly resolved. It also requires less frequent infusions, with mass trials to examine the impact of giving the drug to patients once a month for six months, then every three months. Scientists have been intrigued by the promise of trontinemab because of the way it has been designed to be transported across the blood brain-barrier, which normally prevents chemicals in the bloodstream from entering the brain. 'Game-changing' Prof Sir John Hardy, the chairman of molecular biology of neurological disease at University College London's Institute of Neurology said the advance could be 'game-changing'. He told The Telegraph: 'This is absolutely great news. It sucks the plaque out of the brain really quickly, much faster than we have seen with lecanemab or donanemab.' The scientist, who was the first to identify the role of amyloid in the disease, said the drug's safety profile was a 'massive improvement' on the current drugs on the market, raising hopes it could be used both to prevent disease and stop it in its tracks. He said: 'There is no doubt this could be game-changing. We hope that if we can use these drugs to people early, we can halt the progression of disease, even before people have symptoms. Now we need to see the size of the clinical effect.' Neither of the current drugs have been funded by the NHS as a result of their high costs, much of which stems from the need for intense monitoring, including regular scans. Prof Hardy said: 'These results show it is much faster and safer than previous drugs, which means less monitoring. That brings down the cost significantly, it means fewer MRI scans, so that would surely mean it would get Nice [National Institute of Health and Care Excellence] approval.' 'Very promising evidence' Prof Jonathan Schott, the chief medical officer at Alzheimer's Research UK said: 'We urgently need a range of treatments for Alzheimer's that are effective and safe for the people affected by this devastating disease. 'Evidence presented at the Alzheimer's Association conference in Toronto on trontinemab is very promising, showing that the drug can effectively and rapidly clear amyloid from the brain, seemingly with very few side effects. 'We now need to see whether these early stage results carry through to later stage clinical trials, which are planned to start later this year, including in the UK. These trials will show whether the drug is not only safe, but impacts on memory, thinking and quality of life.' He said it was 'exciting' that the drug would now be tested in some people without symptoms under the phase three trials. Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer said: 'Combining new treatment avenues with advanced diagnostics may enable earlier and potentially more effective intervention. 'With plans for phase three trials in both early symptomatic and preclinical Alzheimer's disease, we are advancing science with the goal of delaying – and ultimately preventing – progression of this devastating condition.'
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