DNA screening start-up claims it can screen embryos for the likelihood of age-related diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s

Prospective parents using IVF will soon be able to rank embryos using genetic and other information in the hopes of extending the longevity of their offspring, according to the 25-year-old entrepreneur behind Nucleus Genomics, a DNA testing and analysis company.

“Lifespan has dramatically increased in the last 150 years,” said Kian Sadeghi, the company’s founder and CEO. “DNA testing to predict and reduce chronic disease can make it happen again.”

Nucleus plans to charge $5,999 for an analysis of up to 900 conditions, including diseases that occur later in life and are major causes of death in older people such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and cancers. The company will analyze up to 20 embryos. 

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Nucleus is offering to generate risk scores for embryos’ likelihood of getting diseases caused by hundreds or even thousands of genes. Called polygenic risk scores, this type of analysis isn’t currently recommended by most medical societies. The scores are probabilities and don’t mean that someone will get the condition.

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