US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ’

Heliospect's services were marketed at up to $50,000 for 100 embryos, undercover footage shows

• What is genomic prediction and can embryos really be screened for IQ'?

A US startup company is offering to help wealthy couples screen their embryos for IQ using controversial technology that raises questions about the ethics of genetic enhancement.

The company, Heliospect Genomics, has worked with more than a dozen couples undergoing IVF, according to undercover video footage. The recordings show the company marketing its services at up to $50,000 (38,000) for clients seeking to test 100 embryos, and claiming to have helped some parents select future children based on genetic predictions of intelligence. Managers boasted their methods could produce a gain of more than six IQ points.