Birth of a Normal Girl after in Vitro Fertilization and Preimplantation Diagnostic Testing for Cystic Fibrosis

Preimplantation diagnosis of the delta F508 deletion causing cystic fibrosis is possible through in vitro fertilization, biopsy of a cleavage-stage embryo, and amplification of DNA from single embryonic cells. This approach should be equally applicable to other single-gene diseases in which the defect has been identified. Analysis of a series of pregnancies, however, will be required to assess the method adequately.