Couples may be offered DNA tests before having children in Hong Kong to detect hereditary diseases
Proposed scheme to also provide genetic counselling on what parents can do to mitigate risks
A proposed research project at Queen Mary Hospital could allow prospective parents to undergo "affordable" DNA testing to identify hereditary health conditions in advance though genetic sequencing.
Pre-pregnancy DNA tests will be offered to couples to help them find out if they are at risk of passing on hereditary diseases to children they conceive and will also provide genetic counselling on what they can do to mitigate these risks.
DrGene, the Israel-based company behind the scheme, says it hopes to spread awareness of genetic testing throughout Hong Kong and Asia and "to make people healthier".
"Five to ten per cent of cancers are hereditary … unfortunately the only way to really fight cancer is by early detection," said founder and CEO Lital Isaacs, adding that one in six Hongkongers is a carrier of genetic diseases. "The biggest challenge in Hong Kong is [to promote] awareness of such testing."
A spokesman for Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam said its obstetrics and gynaecology department and the University of Hong Kong were jointly planning the research, but it had not yet been approved.
Issacs said the pre-pregnancy DNA tests would be subsidised by the company and cost under HK$3,500. The one-year project could start next month.