A US company has said that it can deliver children with increased chances of higher intelligence.

The future of ‘designer babies’ is upon us, according to Professor Luke O’Neill.

On this week’s Show Me The Science podcast, Prof O’Neill said that a US company has developed testing for IVF embryos to predict expected intelligence scores.

For $50,000 (€46,000), the American startup Heliospect Genomics claims it can test embryos for how intelligent they might be.

This is done through testing for over 500 genes that are known to have an effect on intelligence. The company boasts this could lead to a gain of up to six IQ points.

The story was originally broken by the Guardian, who are now reporting to have video footage of the procedure.

Alarm bells

“Imagine this for a minute,” said Prof O’Neill.

“You give your fertilised egg up for analysis and you select the one that will give you a baby that will have a higher IQ than a different one.

“You can immediately see the alarm bells here, because it raises the big question – is intelligence genetic?

“Now, it is partly genetic – there’s evidence for that – but the environment is also extremely important, and it’s a very complex trait, it can’t be determined by a single genetic mutation for instance.”

Biobank

Another controversial element of the story is Heliospect Genomics’ use of the UK’s Biobank in its research.

The Biobank houses biological samples and health-related data on half a million people to be used ‘for the greater good’. Some have argued that this form of genetic research is now ethical.

“The people who run the Biobank have said they make their data available to lots of people, hopefully for the greater good,” said Prof O’Neill.

“Of course the company is defending their approach and saying: ‘Well, this could be for the greater good ultimately’, but still – big question marks.”

It is reported that a total of five couples have availed of the procedure so far.

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