ArticleBMC medical ethics2021
Polygenic risk scoring of human embryos: a qualitative study of media coverage.
Article in BMC medical ethics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Governance of polygenic embryo screening: a qualitative study on the perspectives of clinicians and patients.Fertility and sterility · 2026Article
- Ethical and social implications of implementing polygenic embryo screening into clinical care: A scoping review.Genetics in medicine open · 2026Review
- Polygenic risk scores and embryonic screening: considerations for regulation.Journal of medical ethics · 2025Article
- Promises and pitfalls of preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders: a narrative review.F&S reviews · 2025Article
- Foretelling the Future: Preimplantation Genetic Testing and the Coming of Polygenic Embryo Screening.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Patient perspectives after receiving simulated preconception polygenic risk scores (PRS) for family planning.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Screening embryos for polygenic disease risk: a review of epidemiological, clinical, and ethical considerations.Human reproduction update · 2024Review
- Islamic Perspectives on Polygenic Testing and Selection of IVF Embryos (PGT-P) for Optimal Intelligence and Other Non-Disease-Related Socially Desirable Traits.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2024Article
- Polygenic embryo screening: quo vadis?Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Review
- Research progress and challenges of preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic diseases.Zhejiang da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences · 2023Review
- Limitations, concerns and potential: attitudes of healthcare professionals toward preimplantation genetic testing using polygenic risk scores.European journal of human genetics : EJHG · 2023Article
- Acceptance of genetic editing and of whole genome sequencing of human embryos by patients with infertility before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Reproductive biomedicine online · 2023Article
- Polygenic risk score for embryo selection-not ready for prime time.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- A systematic review of the views of healthcare professionals on the scope of preimplantation genetic testing.Journal of community genetics · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCurrent preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) technologies enable embryo genotyping across the whole genome. This has led to the development of polygenic risk scoring of human embryos (PGT-P). Recent implementation of PGT-P, including screening for intelligence, has been extensively covered by media reports, raising major controversy. Considering the increasing demand for assisted reproduction, we evaluated how information about PGT-P is communicated in press media and explored the diversity of ethical themes present in the public debate.
methodsLexisNexis Academic database and Google News were searched to identify articles about polygenic embryo screening. This led to 535 news articles. 59 original articles met the inclusion criteria. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse these articles.
results8.8% of articles gave embryo polygenic scoring a positive portrayal, while 36.8% expressed a negative attitude. 54.4% were neutral, mostly highlighting limited practical value of the technology in in vitro fertilization settings. We identified five main ethical themes that are also present in academic literature and the broader debate on reproductive technologies: a slippery slope towards designer babies, well-being of the child and parents, impact on society, deliberate choice and societal readiness.
conclusionsImplementation of embryo polygenic profiling engenders a need for specific recommendations. Current media analysis discloses important ethical themes to consider when creating future guidelines for PGT-P.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.