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| Code on embryo screening planned | Code on embryo screening planned |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A code of practice to regulate the use of electronic chips to screen embryos is to be drawn up by the European Fertility Society's ethics task force. | A code of practice to regulate the use of electronic chips to screen embryos is to be drawn up by the European Fertility Society's ethics task force. |
| Doctors already use so-called gene chips to screen DNA for lethal diseases, but in principle they could also test for less serious conditions. | Doctors already use so-called gene chips to screen DNA for lethal diseases, but in principle they could also test for less serious conditions. |
| And there is concern that they could be used to help create "designer" babies. | And there is concern that they could be used to help create "designer" babies. |
| Task force chairman Professor Guido De Wert said the technology should be used to improve only fertility treatment. | Task force chairman Professor Guido De Wert said the technology should be used to improve only fertility treatment. |
| Trivial conditions | Trivial conditions |
| Gene chips are tiny electronic chips that can identify thousands of disease genes from a sample of DNA. | Gene chips are tiny electronic chips that can identify thousands of disease genes from a sample of DNA. |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme | |
| So it might soon be possible to detect which embryos might more prone to develop, say, heart disease - or more trivial conditions - in later life. | So it might soon be possible to detect which embryos might more prone to develop, say, heart disease - or more trivial conditions - in later life. |
| Without regulation, there is concern that some clinics might use the technology to screen out perfectly good embryos. | Without regulation, there is concern that some clinics might use the technology to screen out perfectly good embryos. |
| Professor De Wert has begun a consultation process, involving 10 leading European fertility centres on the issue. | Professor De Wert has begun a consultation process, involving 10 leading European fertility centres on the issue. |
| His aim is to accumulate information on what gene chips are capable of and eventually to develop a code of practice on how they should be used. | His aim is to accumulate information on what gene chips are capable of and eventually to develop a code of practice on how they should be used. |
| He said: "One of my concerns is that people who are naive about genetics think that it is easy to pick the best embryo. | He said: "One of my concerns is that people who are naive about genetics think that it is easy to pick the best embryo. |
| "But even the best geneticists don't know how to interpret how diseases might develop from gene chip information." | "But even the best geneticists don't know how to interpret how diseases might develop from gene chip information." |
| Another ethical issue is that some genes associated with diseases might also be associated with a positive quality - for example genes involved in depression might play a role in creativity. | Another ethical issue is that some genes associated with diseases might also be associated with a positive quality - for example genes involved in depression might play a role in creativity. |
| As a first step Professor De Wert is asking experts from the 10 centres involved in the study for their views. | As a first step Professor De Wert is asking experts from the 10 centres involved in the study for their views. |
| They will be asked how they are proposing to use gene chip technology, what they believe their capabilities to be and their views on the moral implications. | They will be asked how they are proposing to use gene chip technology, what they believe their capabilities to be and their views on the moral implications. |