The founder of Nucleus Genomics proposes the term "genetic optimization industry" for companies building tools and services that allow parents to influence the genetic traits of their future children
The founder of Nucleus Genomics proposes the term "genetic optimization industry" for companies building tools and services that allow parents to influence the genetic traits of their future children
On September 8, Kian Sadeghi, the founder of Nucleus Genomics, published an essay titled Evolution by Genetic Optimization. In it, he brings together embryo selection, gene editing, and technologies that could increase the number of available egg cells.
In IVF, eggs are fertilized outside the body. Sometimes multiple embryos result, and one is then chosen for transfer to the uterus. Each embryo carries its own combination of DNA variants from the parents. Sadeghi treats this choice as the central mechanism in his framework: first assess the DNA combinations, then select the embryo.
"The primary mechanism of genetic optimization is selection, not engineering."
Sadeghi assigns gene editing to cases where a new genetic modification needs to be introduced. He connects selection to IVG, a technology under development that would derive egg cells or sperm from other cells in the body. In his scenario, this technology would increase the number of available gametes and therefore the number of embryos with different DNA combinations available for assessment and selection.
IVF already uses preimplantation genetic testing to screen embryos before transfer, including for heritable diseases linked to a single gene. Sadeghi also incorporates polygenic scores into his framework: calculations of disease risk or trait likelihood based on many DNA variants. The authors of an article in Scientific American draw a distinction between such screening and polygenic scores for complex diseases and traits. The clinical use of polygenic scores remains a matter of debate.
With this term, Sadeghi unites embryo assessment, potential gene editing, and IVG. He ties the framework to "human flourishing": genetics influences bodily characteristics, while he separates personality and virtues from genetic traits.