Master’s student Kate Nakasato and Professor Kato’s article was published
Master’s student Kate Nakasato, Professor Beverley Anne Yamamoto (Graduate School of Human Sciences), and Professor Kazuto Kato have published their research on preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) in Japan, the UK, and Western Australia.
PGT allows diagnostic and screening tests to be carried out on an embryo during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) before it is transferred to the uterus for implantation. Performing the test before implantation allows embryos with favorable traits to be selected, thus creating new choices for at-risk individuals to have genetically related children without passing down serious genetic conditions.
Previous studies on the regulatory frameworks for PGT in various developed countries show that a point of consensus is to limit the use of PGT-M to identify heritable genetic abnormalities in an embryo that would otherwise result in the birth of a child with a ‘serious’ genetic disease. However, the specific way of defining disease severity in this context, e.g., the explicit criteria or factors that define this standard, is not always described clearly. As such, the research team sought to better understand how disease severity is being defined for PGT by comparing three countries that have significant experience with regulating reproductive technologies.
The results of this study point to the possible medical and social impacts of PGT regulatory frameworks on multiple stakeholders. Furthermore, it suggests that impacts in this case are not only caused by whether PGT is permitted or not, but also by the circumstances under which it is allowed and how decisions regarding its approval are made.
Title: “Evaluating standards for ‘serious’ disease for preimplantation genetic testing: a multi-case study on regulatory frameworks in Japan, the UK, and Western Australia”
Authors: Kate Nakasato, Beverley Anne Yamamoto, Kazuto Kato
