Exclusive: Startup to use AI to assess disease risk in embryos
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A genetic testing startup launched an AI genomics research arm Tuesday aimed at predicting the likelihood that IVF embryos will develop certain cancers, Alzheimer's and other chronic diseases.
Why it matters: Nucleus Genomics is taking preventative health to an entirely new level: before birth.
- "Genomics is one of the greatest preventative medicine tools that's ever existed," CEO Kian Sadeghi, who founded Nucleus when he was 20, told Axios.
- But assigning embryos risk scores is also expensive and controversial.
The company is rolling out nine new "genetic optimization models" branded under the name Origin — part of the company's new Nucleus Labs — that will use DNA analysis to scan for Alzheimer's, breast cancer, coronary heart disease, endometriosis, hypertension, prostate cancer, arthritis, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
The intrigue: Origin is "open weighted," meaning anyone in the research community can access it and build upon the models, Sadeghi told Axios.
How it works: Through the company's IVF+ service, parents can opt for the nine risk tests, as well as screenings for over 2,000 genetic conditions and traits that offer IQ and hair color predictions.
- The Origin process uses AI to analyze 7 million genetic markers with algorithms that are trained on 1.5 million people's data, Sadeghi said.
- IVF+ full concierge service isn't cheap: The cost starts at $30,000.
Nucleus Labs is a medical lab that follows the same regulations as all other clinical genetic testing.
Critics have said tests like these could draw a further divide between certain types of children in society, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
- Sadeghi, who has talked about losing his cousin to a genetic disease, said his company is advancing technology that's already being used. IVF clinics already test embryos for chromosomal abnormalities that can lead to conditions such as Down syndrome.
What's next: Nucleus said it wants to help people build "generational health."
- "This idea that parents pass down their values. They pass down their ethics, and they pass down where they're from, their food, etc., and they also pass down their DNA. I think we can do that more thoughtfully, more carefully."
