Embryo test licences for breast cancer and Alzheimer’s granted:
In Issue 1 of Gene Gems, we reported that UK doctors had applied for permission to help two couples avoid passing on hereditary breast cancer to their children.
Paul Serhal, of University College London, has now been granted a licence by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to select embryos free from the BRCA1 gene mutation (an inherited gene change) that causes the condition in the family. The case is the first of its type, following the HFEA's decision last May to allow the use of embryo tests for 'lower penetrance' mutations that do not always cause disease.
The technique, a variation of IVF, involves taking a single cell from a 2-4 day old embryo, performing a genetic or chromosome test on that cell, and then returning one or two unaffected embryos to the womb. In the UK, the use of embryo tests is regulated by the HFEA, which licenses the procedure on a case-by-case basis. Previously, it has only permitted its use for detecting faulty genes that always result in a serious illness, usually in childhood. In contrast, although women with faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes face up to an 85 per cent chance of developing cancer in their lifetime - often in their thirties or forties – some carriers may never develop the illness.
The technique, a variation of IVF, involves taking a single cell from a 2-4 day old embryo, performing a genetic or chromosome test on that cell, and then returning one or two unaffected embryos to the womb. In the UK, the use of embryo tests is regulated by the HFEA, which licenses the procedure on a case-by-case basis. Previously, it has only permitted its use for detecting faulty genes that always result in a serious illness, usually in childhood. In contrast, although women with faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes face up to an 85 per cent chance of developing cancer in their lifetime - often in their thirties or forties – some carriers may never develop the illness.
Meanwhile, another London clinic has been given permission to help a couple conceive children free from early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Bridge Centre will test embryos for Charl and Danielle De Beer. Mr De Beer's mother developed Alzheimer's at the age of 49 and died at 64, while his grandmother and two of his uncles also died of the condition. While Mr De Beer does not know whether he carries the condition himself, and there is a 50 per cent chance of him doing so, he wishes to spare his children the experience of living under the threat of the illness. The HFEA has classified early-onset Alzheimer's as a serious genetic condition, and therefore meets the criteria for an embryo testing licence.
Sources:
Couple’s embryos to be screened for gene that causes breast cancer
IVF couple screened to avoid Alzheimer's risk