Nucleus Genomics is a genetic testing startup founded by 25-year-old Kian Sadeghi Originally launched in 2021, the goal is to calculate the risk of patients suffering from specific diseases.
But for years, people have been controversial about how these products claim their genetics are related to many complex issues, including IQ.
On Wednesday, when it announced a tweet about a new product called Nucleus Embryo, it raised the level of controversy: "Every parent wants to give children more. This is the first time in human history, Nucleus has added a new tool to that commitment."
Nucleus says it can test IVF embryos, not only for the well-known specific genes for higher diseases such as breast cancer, but also for appearance – gender, sex, height, hair color, eye color – as well as IQ and complex health attributes such as anxiety and ADHD.
The startup video includes a screenshot of the comparison menu. The idea is to help parents choose which embryo to choose and perhaps discard which embryo.
Genetic testing of embryos is not unheard of. IVF doctors can test genes that may cause diseases such as Down syndrome, or parents know they are at a high risk of a specific genetic disease, such as cystic fibrosis.
But that's not what the core is doing. A spokesman said it is using the controversial "polygenetic score" to determine "complex genetic results such as intelligence and anxiety."
According to data from the National Institute of Human Genome, the multigene score only calculates the probability of a complex disease, mainly in the population. "The polygenic risk score can only explain the relative risk of the disease," NHGR said. This is different from the discovery of specific genes, such as a mutation in the BRCA1 gene that gives a person 60-80% of the "absolute risk of breast cancer."
There is a reason why doctors don’t usually use such tests for individuals. "Health professionals have not used polygenic risk scores routinely, because there are no practical guidelines and researchers are still improving how these scores are generated," said NHGR.
Nucleus defends its approaches that can be used to determine individual risks. A spokesperson pointed to us at the 2018 paper, and the authors said they have developed validation methods for five common diseases: coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and breast cancer.
The paper advocates screening to help individuals make lifestyle or therapeutic decisions, similar to the original concept of Nucleus.
Wednesday's tweet was assured parents that Nucleus could help them create designer babies. More than 4 million have been seen now and there are hundreds of comments, many of whom express doubts about the work promised, or the horror of the idea.
"I'm going to type like Noah pick up the boat, but honestly, that's the reality, which makes me very disgusting."
As TechCrunch previously reported, Nucleus had experienced this controversy before, when it announced the $14 million Series A earlier this year. The startup is composed of the Founders Foundation, Alexis Ohanian’s 776, and Angels that include Adrian Aoun (CEO of Forward Health), Brent Saunders (former CEO of Allergan) and Matteo Franceschetti (CEO of Eight Sleeping).
Last year, Sadeghi launched the Nucleus IQ, which should tell users that their genetics affect intelligence. The product was blown up by some critics as a "bad science and big business." Sadeghi made a long defense of his company's methodology.
Even so, telling adults that genetic intelligence is one thing. Tell IVF parents that they can choose appearance and other complex attributes for their children, many will argue.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Nucleus has not yet passed IVF Lab Partners for such tests. It is working with genome prediction in partnership with IVF clinics. A genome director told WSJ that many parents requested intelligence tests, but that didn't offer them. If parents want to pursue the core, they can voluntarily upload genetic data information to the nucleic acid nucleus.
Or, as Sadeghi said in a video for possible parents: "Not long ago, IVF-1 triggered fear and stigma of IVF," he said. "What was once controversial is now a daily exercise. So is genetic optimization. The technology is here now and can stay here."