PRECAS: Reproduction in the age of genomic medicine
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Reproduction in the age of genomic medicine: the emergence, commercialisation and implications of preconception expanded carrier screening
IRAS ID
348544
Contact name
C Herbrand
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
De Montfort University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
544733, DMU Health and Life Sciences Faculty ethics application
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Ideas about genetic inheritance continues to shape individual and collective imaginaries regarding identity, family, health and population. Individuals are increasingly incited to mobilise genetic information to answer questions about their health and family connections. In the context of reproduction, a new form of genetic profiling - expanded carrier screening (ECS) - is being used to inform ‘healthy’ prospective parents of their potential risks of transmitting recessive (and therefore unknown) genetic disorders to future offspring. This new technology is being rolled out and marketed in a variety of healthcare settings and raises a number of social, ethical and economic questions. Informed by scholarship in medical sociology with insights from science and technology studies, bioethics and political economy, this large-scale collaborative and interdisciplinary project will investigate the emergence of Expanded Carrier Screening for preconception use amongst the general population and its social, cultural and economic consequences. Drawing on novel and timely empirical data collected via multi-sited methods, the aim of this project is to consider how the development of ECS is re-shaping the landscape of reproductive screening by introducing new practices and expectations about planned pregnancy, reproductive risk, responsible parenthood. More broadly, it will contribute to theorise the socio-cultural and economic processes currently reshaping reproductive health and parental ideals, while gaining a better understanding of how novel screening technologies become embedded in social and healthcare practices. Findings will stimulate and inform public debates on ECS and help create evidence-based resources for prospective parents, policymakers and practitioners, with the assistance of key collaborators and partners.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0025
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion