Post Reports Inside Silicon Valley’s push to breed super-babies
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Oct 14, 2025 In this insightful discussion, Elizabeth (Lizza) Dwoskin, Silicon Valley correspondent for The Washington Post, dives into the world of fertility startups like Orchid Health. She explains how they use genetic testing to identify diseases in embryos, but raises ethical dilemmas about creating 'super-babies.' Lizza highlights the complexities of polygenic scoring and the staggering costs involved. She also addresses inequality in access to these technologies and warns about unintended consequences in trait selection, making us ponder the future of reproductive technology.
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Founder Used Her Own Service
- Noor Siddiqui used Orchid Health to screen her own embryos and picked one for implantation after counseling and review.
- The company features parents like Leah describing how Orchid helped them create their baby, Jaffe.
Full-Genome From Five Cells Claim
- Orchid sequences a full embryo genome from five cells and screens for thousands of rare diseases and chromosomal issues.
- They also produce polygenic predictions for adult-onset conditions like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.
Budget For Per-Embryo Fees
- Expect to pay roughly $2,500 per embryo for polygenic and advanced genomic screening, so budget accordingly.
- Most families screen all embryos to compare results side-by-side before choosing implantation.