HUNDREDS of cells have been grown from a single cell taken from an early mouse embryo. If the same feat can be repeated in humans, it would make screening embryos for genetic defects during IVF much easier and more accurate. And in the future, cells taken from an embryo for testing might also provide an unlimited source of matching stem cells for treating diseases that the person might develop later in life.
It is now over a decade since Alan Handyside led the team that first used pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to test embryos for genetic defects before they are implanted…
