U.S. Company Launches First Embryo ‘Optimization’ Platform for IVF Parents
In a controversial development in reproductive technology, American biotech firm Nucleus Genomics has launched Nucleus Embryo – the world’s first software platform designed to genetically “optimize” human embryos.
JUNE 6, 2025 — Parents undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are now being offered the option to select embryos based on preferred traits such as gender, height, eye and hair color. The remaining embryos will be discarded.
In a June 4 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Nucleus Embryo announced the launching of the program with a post stating, “Every parent wants to give their children more than they had. For the first time in human history, Nucleus adds a new tool to that commitment. Welcome to Nucleus Embryo.”
The system allows users to screen and compare up to 20 embryos for more than 900 inherited conditions and more than 1,000 additional traits. These include not only the aforementioned bodily characteristics, but also risks for disease and even projected cognitive ability and potential lifespan.
This development has further stoked ethical concerns over the practice of IVF and the ability to select embryos, now with the added-on opportunity for optimization.
The service launches as U.S. birth rates continue to plummet – down 20% over the past 15 years – prompting increased use of assisted reproductive technologies. Today, roughly one in every 50 American children is born through IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies.
Previously, the UOJ’s Ukrainian Branch (SPZh) reported that the world’s first computer based on human neurons had gone on sale.
