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Preconception genetic screening will soon be available through a technology called the Pythia Approach, whose full scientific name is Offspring Projections through the Combined Analysis of Different Individuals or OP-CADI. With this new technology, we can analyze the genetic makeup of two potential parents in order to determine which diseases and traits their yet-to-be-conceived offspring are likely to inherit.
The Pythia Approach uses specially designed computer software to replicate the biological process of combining the genetic make-ups of the two parents, which is what occurs when a baby is conceived, and then uses the resulting information to predict the range of possibilities for the child’s genetic makeup. While we can’t determine the exact risk of a disease because the exact genetic makeup of the offspring will not yet be known, by analyzing the prospective parents’ genetic makeup we can predict the range of risk that future children will have of getting a particular disease. Through the use of Existence’s Pythia Approach, potential parents will be able to know before they conceive a child what diseases that potential child may be at risk for throughout his or her life.
The Pythia Approach, which is in its final stages of development, is useful for anyone thinking about having children, including those contemplating the use of a sperm or egg donor, because it not only provides objective information about the genetic makeup of the donor, but also about the risks for diseases that may result from the combination of the donor’s genes with those of the other parent.
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