Science Media Centre

There’s a scene in the film Gattaca, which was written by New Zealand-born writer-director Andrew Niccol, that was going through my head during the discussions on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis that took place at Turnbull House in Wellington yesterday. In the scene two brothers, Vincent and Anton, swim out to sea in a physical and emotional […]

Three decades ago today, on 25 July 1978, Louise Brown, the world’s first ‘test-tube’ baby was born. We asked New Zealand reproductive health experts to reflect on how far the science has come, and what may lie ahead. John Hutton, Reproductive Medicine Specialist, Fertility Associates Wellington and University of Otago Wellington School of Medicine and […]

What is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)? Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a procedure for genetically testing early-stage human embryos.  Its main use is to test for inherited genetic conditions and chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome. It is also used to find embryos that are a tissue match for siblings who are affected with certain […]