Decision time for new embryo cholesterol test

Published on Saturday 15 December 2007 19:21

BRITAIN'S fertility watchdog is considering granting a licence to screen embryos for a gene that causes high cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart attacks.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will announce next week whether it has approved an application to carry out tests for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).

The procedure is intended to detect a defective gene which can lead to a rare but very serious form of FH that often kills children before puberty.

Paul Serhal, of University College Hospital in London, wants permission to screen the embryos of a British couple who both have the milder form of the disorder.

They have a daughter, now five, who was born with the serious homozygous form of FH and they fear that any other children they have could also be affected, it was reported.

Serhal said: "This obnoxious disease can cause cardiovascular accidents at a very early age. Ideally, we will find embryos with no FH genes, but it is possible we will not and it will be up to the patients to choose."

An HFEA spokeswoman said a licence committee had discussed Serhal's application but would not make its decision public until Tuesday or Wednesday. It may only permit screening for the more serious form of the disease, she said.