PQG Seminar with Shai Carmi

Shai CarmiSenior LecturerBraun School of Public Health and Community MedicineThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (HUJI)Evaluating the utility of screening human embryos for polygenic traitsIt is now technically feasible to use polygenic scores and preimplantation genetic testing to screen human embryos for traits (e.g., height or cognitive ability). However, the expected outcomes of embryo screening are unclear, which undermines discussion of associated ethical concerns. We used simulations, theory, and real data to evaluate the potential gain of embryo screening, defined as the increase in trait value when selecting the top-scoring embryo for implantation. The gain increases slowly with the number of embryos but more rapidly with the variance explained by the score. Given current technology, the average gain due to screening would be ~2.5 cm for height and ~2.5 IQ points for cognitive ability. I will also discuss a preliminary assessment of the utility of embryo screening for complex disease risk.