A new startup called Heliospect Genomics has found quite a niche to tap into. The startup’s main focus is on embryo IQ screening, giving parents a chance to drop $50,000 to check the IQ of their embryos before undergoing expensive procedures like IVF (invitro-fertilization). Additionally, reports on the startup suggest that people are actually buying what it is selling.
Details of this startup were mostly revealed as part of an undercover video documentary put together by Hope Not Hate, a UK-based advocacy group. The Guardian then carried out additional research into Heliospect Genomics to try to figure out exactly what is going on behind the scenes.
According to these two in-depth reports, the secretive startup charges up to $50,000 for the testing of 100 embryos. Not only does the test include embryo IQ screening, but the company claims it can also tell parents about other “naughty” traits like obesity risk and the risk of mental illness. Further, the company says it will rank the embryos based on these factors so that the parents can choose from their best and brightest.
Of course, there’s no proof that the startup’s test actually does what it claims it does. But some folks seem to be buying into the hype—like pronatalist couple Malcolm and Simone Collins, who were featured in Hope Not Hate’s video. This couple has often garnered lengthy profiles about their lifestyle, which basically revolves around their need to repopulate the Earth with what they call “optimized babies.”
The big kicker here, though, is just the fact that this company is claiming to be able to tell you all these details about your embryos based on genetic markers. And while there is definitely evidence to suggest that some of those traits are tied to genetic markers, intelligence itself is a very hard-to-measure concept. So it’s kind of hard to believe that someone could screen for IQ from an embryo state.
Is this startup really the next step toward “designer babies“? That’s hard to say, but it definitely raises a few eyebrows about the things the company claims it can do.
