Do you want to make sure your child has higher than average intelligence?

American startup Heliospect Genomics is asking parents to pay up to $50 to test their embryos for intelligence (IQ) and other desirable qualities for their future child.

Would you like to ensure that your unborn child has a higher than average IQ?

Now, with the help of genetic enhancement technology, this seems possible. However, this field remains highly debatable, as it can normalize the idea of ​​"superiority" and "inferiority" in people, writes odditycentral.

According to an undercover video provided by the campaign group Hope Not Hate, at least one genomic prediction company has started selling its services to parents who can afford it. Heliospect Genomics, according to records, has already offered its services to more than a dozen parents going through the in-vitro fertilization process, charging up to $50 to scan 100 embryos for IQ and other qualities, claim that their technology can help select children with IQ scores six points higher than those conceived naturally.

Footage provided by Hope Not Hate and reviewed by The Guardian appears to show Heliospect Genomics employees pitching the company's services to potential customers, claiming they can test up to 100 embryos for "IQ and other 'forbidden' traits everyone wants," including sex and height, as well as risks for obesity or mental health problems.

News of the controversial service went viral last month, prompting backlash from some geneticists and bioethicists, who said it raises many moral and medical issues. Some argued that the service reinforces the idea that social inequality is linked to biological rather than social causes, while others asserted that this is a gray area that the general public has not had the opportunity to seriously reflect on.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Heliospect Genomics said the American startup is currently in the "stealth" phase and still developing its services, but added that it is preparing for a public launch. The company also stated that it will not endorse industrial-scale production of eggs or embryos, nor elite selection, and will not offer testing for "dark trinity" traits or beauty.

Footage provided by the organization Hope Not Hate and analyzed by theguardian appears to show Heliospect Genomics employees pitching the company's services to potential customers, claiming they can test up to 100 embryos for "IQ and other traits" 'forbidden' that everyone wants', including sex and height, as well as risks for obesity or mental health problems.

News of the controversial service went viral last month, prompting backlash from some geneticists and bioethicists, who said it raises many moral and medical issues. Some argued that the service reinforces the idea that social inequality is linked to biological rather than social causes, while others asserted that this is a gray area that the general public has not had the opportunity to seriously reflect on.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Heliospect Genomics said the American startup is currently in the "stealth" phase and still developing its services, but added that it is preparing for a public launch. The company also stated that it will not endorse industrial-scale production of eggs or embryos, nor elite selection, and will not offer testing for "skin" features or beauty.

"By liberal eugenics we mean that parents should be free, even encouraged, to use technology to improve their children's prospects when possible," said Jonathan Anomaly, academic on the board of Heliospect Genomics.

“Everyone can have as many children as they want and have children who are essentially disease-free; it's going to be fantastic," said Michael Christensen, CEO of Heliospect and a former financial markets trader, during a November 2023 video call recorded by a Hope Not Hate researcher.

In addition to the "designer babies" controversy, Heliospect Genomics has also raised concerns about how it sources its data, with some media reporting that its prediction tools are based on data from the UK Biobank, a repository publicly funded genetics and primarily used for health-related research. /Telegraph/