Many object to embryo selection because they mistakenly believe it involves altering genes. In reality, the technology simply reveals information about natural genetic variations already present in IVF embryos, allowing parents to choose, not tinker.

The controversy and business opportunity in polygenic embryo selection lie in interpreting genetic data, not in the physical sequencing. Companies are competing on the quality and scope of their predictive models for health and traits, which they apply to data from established lab processes.

To normalize the ethically fraught practice of embryo gene editing, startups like Preventive are shifting the narrative from just curing disease to radical cost reduction. They claim editing embryos could cost $5,000, a fraction of the $2 million price tag for current adult gene therapies.

In the U.S., support for embryo screening for disease is nearly double that for intelligence, while in Singapore, support is equal. This gap is attributed to Western taboos from WWII-era eugenics, creating a moral distinction between selecting against negative traits and for positive ones that is less pronounced elsewhere.

Many laws were written before technological shifts like the smartphone or AI. Companies like Uber and OpenAI found massive opportunities by operating in legal gray areas where old regulations no longer made sense and their service provided immense consumer value.

CRISPR reframes its commercial strategy away from traditional drug launches. By viewing gene editing as a 'molecular surgery,' the company adopts a go-to-market approach similar to medical devices, focusing on paradigm shifts in hospital procedures and physician training.

Facing immense ethical questions about technologies like artificial wombs, Colossal doesn't wait for regulation. It establishes its own clear, public guardrails—such as refusing to work on humans or primates and tying every project back to conserving an existing endangered species.

A new innovation allows companies to construct an embryo's entire genome using raw data from a standard Down syndrome test. This means parents can get comprehensive polygenic reports without needing explicit approval from clinics or doctors, effectively democratizing access and removing traditional medical gatekeepers.

China is no longer just a low-cost manufacturing hub for biotech. It has become an innovation leader, leveraging regulatory advantages like investigator-initiated trials to gain a significant speed advantage in cutting-edge areas like cell and gene therapy. This shifts the competitive landscape from cost to a race for speed and novel science.