We are a team of scientists building the highest quality genetic tests for families.
Our research spans monogenic conditions to complex disease prediction:

Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, cancers, Level 3 autism, diabetes, major depressive disorder, and more.

Embryo screening tool

Embryos inherit different parts of each of their parents' genomes. This leads to genetic variation.
This variation gives rise to differences in genetic risks of disease, some of which we can capture with our polygenic scores. Given information about the prospective parents (ancestry and disease status), we can simulate sets of embryos with realistic genetic variation and identify those at the highest, lowest, and average genetic risk.
This tool helps prospective parents understand how well our predictors can stratify risk of disease among their embryos.

Interested in early access?

Get early access
Our Science

Development and validation of polygenic scores for within-family prediction of disease risks

Spencer Moore1, Ivan Davidson1, Jonathan Anomaly1, Jeremiah Li1, 
Mohammad Ahangari1, Lauren Moissiy1, Michael Christensen1, 
Alexander Strudwick Young1,2, David Stern1*, Tobias Wolfram1,3*

Technical paperBlog post

Stay tuned for more insights on cognitive trait prediction, pleiotropic effects of polygenic screening, high-effect rare variants, the ethics of embryo screening, improvements to the IVF process, and many other exciting projects.

Team

Alex Strudwick Young
Tobias Wolfram
Spencer Moore
Jonathan Anomaly
Ivan Davidson
Lauren Moissiy
Santiago Munne
Ross McKinney
David Stern
Jeremy Li
Subidhya Shrestha
Bryan Hughes
Mary Beth Rossi
Mamad Ahangari
Mathew Eyre
Rishi Sharma
Michael Christensen

Advisors

Aimee Eyvazzadeh
Andy Huang
Said Daneshmand
Allen Buchanan
Sebastian Brunemeier
Joe Pickrell
Timothy Bates
Michael Poon
And growing — interested in joining?

Our ethos

We are a highly ambitious team dedicated to scientific rigor. We roll out our science only after it has been carefully validated. We believe genetic testing has the potential to improve people’s lives and our ultimate goal is to make impactful genetic insights accessible to everyone.

We want to do things right, which means we prioritize research over marketing. This includes continuously improving variant calling and imputation, performing rigorous within-family validations, and an endless pursuit of increasing R-squared values.

We understand that genetics is complex and deeply personal. That’s why genetic counseling is central to our approach—we don’t just present information, we help parents find meaning in the context of their unique situation and values. We want every individual to feel informed and confident when working with us.

Infrequently asked questions

Here are key questions you should ask when considering genetic screening, whether for single-gene disorders or complex diseases like type 2 diabetes and schizophrenia.

Essential questions about complex disease screening

How do you validate the accuracy of your genetic predictors?

Polygenic scores capture correlations between genetic variants and traits; we do not know precisely how they predict disease risks. But we do know that if a polygenic score accurately predicts differences in disease risk between existing adults, especially among siblings, it should also be able to predict future disease risk in embryos (which are potential future siblings).

Many companies skip the most critical validation step: testing whether polygenic scores work when comparing siblings. Since embryo screening requires predicting differences in disease risk within your family — not across strangers — we validate our scores on actual family data. If a company can't show you within-family validation, their scores haven't been shown to work for embryo screening.

How well do your polygenic scores perform for individuals with non-European ancestries?

Most polygenic scores are trained primarily on people with European ancestries, leaving everyone else with potentially inaccurate predictions. We rigorously test the performance and calibration of our models across diverse genetic ancestries using advanced statistical techniques. This ensures accurate disease risk prediction for your family, regardless of background.

If a company does not report ancestry-specific validation data, their scores likely won't work well for parents with non-European ancestries (and they're probably hoping you won't ask).

How do you account for family medical history?

Family history reveals disease risks that polygenic scores alone don't capture. Our genetic predictors integrate comprehensive family medical history, creating risk predictions tailored to your family. If a company doesn't ask about your family history, they're missing essential context, giving you an incomplete picture of disease risk.

Essential questions about carrier screening

Does your carrier screening follow guidelines from leading medical organizations?

Carrier screening panels can test thousands of genes, but medical authorities like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) have identified specific genes that should always be included because they are linked to common, serious conditions. Two of the most critical examples are CFTR, associated with cystic fibrosis, and SMN1, linked to spinal muscular atrophy, a severe neuromuscular condition appearing in infancy.

Some companies may try to impress you with hundreds of genes, while they fail to include essential ones. When choosing a carrier screening test, confirm first that the panel includes high-priority genes identified by established medical guidelines.

Does your carrier screening include secondary findings such as BRCA1/2?

Many people assume carrier screening panels include genes like BRCA1/2 (breast and ovarian cancer risk), but most don't. The ACMG maintains a list of medically actionable genes (termed “secondary findings”) that increase disease risks in the person being tested, not just their future children. While carrier screening focuses on recessive and X-linked conditions you could pass on, secondary findings are also medically relevant for you and your partner and can be potentially life-saving.

What kind of genetic variation can you detect?

Certain regions of the genome are difficult to map. Different sequencing technologies have different advantages and limitations for mapping the genome. Most companies rely on short-read sequencing which covers much of the genome but fails to reveal certain types of variation. It often misses repeat expansions and copy number variants, which are responsible for serious conditions like Fragile X syndrome and spinal muscular atrophy.

Many companies claiming they sequence >99% of your genome cannot actually map your whole genome. Long-read sequencing can detect these hard-to-call variants more reliably, but it is rarely used in routine genetic testing. Ask your provider: Can you detect repeat expansions and copy number variants? If they only use basic short-read sequencing, they're likely missing critical genetic variations.

Join the conversation

We’ll be hosting workshops and events to present our work and gather feedback. If you are a genetic counselor, physician, researcher, or just have a passion for genetics, we’d love to hear from you.

If you are a prospective parent and you’re interested in early access, please feel free to contact us.

Get involved