Preconception genetic screening will soon be possible through a technology
called Offspring Projections through the Combined Analysis of Different
Individuals (OP-CADI), which is also known as the Pythia Approach. With this
new technology, we can analyze the genetic makeup of two potential parents in
order to determine which diseases and traits their future offspring are likely to have even before they are conceived. 

The Pythia Approach uses specially designed computer software to replicate the biological process of combining the genetic makeup of the two parents, which is what occurs when a child is conceived, and then uses the resulting information to predict the range of possibilities for the child’s genetic makeup. While we can’t determine the exact risk of a common disease because the exact genetic makeup of the offspring will not yet be known, by analyzing the prospective parents’ genetic makeup, we can predict the range of risk that future children will have of getting a particular disease.

The Pythia Approach, which is in its final stages of development, is useful for anyone thinking about having children, including those contemplating the use of a sperm or egg donor, because it not only provides objective information about the genetic makeup of the donor but also about the risks for diseases that may result from the combination of the door’s genes with those of the other parent.

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