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The uncertain science of preimplantation and prenatal genetic testing

Nature Medicine volume 28, pages 442–444 (2022)Cite this article

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Tests to identify chromosomal abnormalities in embryos and in early pregnancies are frequently used to make important decisions, including terminations, but many rely on outdated science. Regulation of these genetic tests is urgently needed to ensure transparency and validation.

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Fig. 1: Schematic of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) in IVF.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), New York, NY, USA

    Norbert Gleicher, David F. Albertini & Pasquale Patrizio

  2. Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Norbert Gleicher

  3. Stem Cell and Embryology Laboratory, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA

    Norbert Gleicher

  4. Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Norbert Gleicher

  5. Bedford Research Foundation, Bedford, MA, USA

    David F. Albertini

  6. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Pasquale Patrizio

  7. Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Infertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Medical Faculty, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Raoul Orvieto

  8. Department of Medical Science, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Eli Y. Adashi

Authors
  1. Norbert Gleicher
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  2. David F. Albertini
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  3. Pasquale Patrizio
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  4. Raoul Orvieto
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  5. Eli Y. Adashi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Norbert Gleicher.

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Competing interests

N.G. is listed as co-inventor on several U.S. patents and receives royalties from Fertility Nutraceuticals LLC, New York, NY, for some of these patents, none of which relate to subjects discussed in this article. N.G. is a shareholder in Fertility Nutraceuticals, owns The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a fertility center in New York, NY, and received speaker honoraria and research grant support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Saint-Prex, Switzerland) and Cook Medical (Bloomington, IN). D.F.A. receives as editor-in-chief of a medical journal a stipend from Springer Nature, and in 2021 received speaker honoraria from EMD Serono (Rockland, MA) and Cook Medical (Bloomington, IN). R.O. received speaker honoraria from Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Saint-Prex, Switzerland) and Merck KGaA. (Darmstadt, Germany). All other authors have no conflicts to report.

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Gleicher, N., Albertini, D.F., Patrizio, P. et al. The uncertain science of preimplantation and prenatal genetic testing. Nat Med 28, 442–444 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01712-7

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