Orchid: Offering Parents the Choice of a Genetically Enhanced Baby
In a world where science fiction is becoming reality, a fertility startup called Orchid is offering prospective parents an extraordinary choice: have a regular baby or an Orchid baby. While a regular baby might face various health challenges, from cancer to intellectual disabilities, an Orchid baby’s risk of these conditions is significantly reduced through a process often referred to as “genetic enhancement.”
How Orchid Works
Noor Siddiqui, the 29-year-old co-founder of Orchid, and her husband underwent IVF at Stanford in 2022, resulting in 16 embryos. These embryos were then sent to Orchid’s lab in North Carolina for extensive genetic testing. Unlike typical preimplantation testing, which only scans for alarming abnormalities, Orchid provides a comprehensive picture of each embryo’s genetic destiny. Currently, Orchid calculates the likelihood of an embryo developing any of the more than 1,200 diseases and conditions for which we have genetic information.
Orchid’s Early Success and Future Potential
Despite being in its early stages, with just 16 employees and $12 million in funding, Orchid is already present in 40 IVF clinics across the country and has thousands of customers, including several prominent figures in the tech industry. As the company grows and technology advances, the scope of what Orchid can calculate is likely to expand, raising both hopes and concerns about the future of genetic enhancement.
The Ethical Dilemma of Genetic Enhancement
The idea of genetic enhancement raises complex ethical questions. If Orchid’s technology had existed when Siddiqui’s mother, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, was an embryo, and her parents had chosen a different embryo to avoid the condition, Siddiqui herself would not exist. This hypothetical scenario highlights the potential unintended consequences of genetic enhancement and the ethical dilemmas it presents.
The entire history of human existence is reducing suffering and making it so that more people get to participate more fully in society. Right?
Siddiqui argues that genetic enhancement is a continuation of humanity’s efforts to reduce suffering and create a more equitable society. She points out that certain populations, such as South Asians, have higher rates of conditions like heart attacks and diabetes, and that Orchid’s technology could help level the playing field.
The Limitations of Genetic Enhancement
However, Siddiqui acknowledges that not all disease is genetic and that even with Orchid’s technology, suffering and disease will still exist. For example, only 10-15% of cancers have a genetic component, meaning that 90% of people will still develop cancer regardless of genetic enhancement. Orchid’s goal is to provide parents with more information and confidence when making the most important decision of their lives: having a child.
The Most Concerning Diseases for Prospective Parents
According to Siddiqui, the diseases that prospective parents are most concerned about are pediatric and adult-onset cancers, birth defects, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Many of these conditions are controlled by the interaction of multiple genes, making them more challenging to predict and prevent through genetic enhancement.
The Importance of Genetic Testing in Reproduction: An Interview with Noor Siddiqui
The Potential of Whole Genome Sequencing
Noor Siddiqui, the founder of Orchid, believes that whole genome sequencing of embryos is a significant upgrade in the field of reproductive technology. Unlike existing companies like 23andMe that only test for a limited number of genetic variants, Orchid sequences the entire genome of embryos, providing a vast amount of information on both monogenic and polygenic conditions. Siddiqui compares this technology to a vaccine for all known genetic diseases at once.
The Personal Decision to Use Orchid’s Technology
Siddiqui’s decision to use Orchid’s technology on herself was influenced by her personal interest in genetics and reproductive technology, as well as her mother’s experience. She believes that reproduction is one of the most fundamental aspects of life and has always had a keen interest in fertility and reproductive technology.
The Importance of Informed Decision-Making
Siddiqui considers it negligent to use outdated genetic testing technology, as it may miss hundreds of detectable conditions. She believes that parents who are not informed about the existence of new technology are being done a disservice and may even have grounds for legal action if their child is born with a condition that could have been detected.
If your doctor doesn’t tell you that there’s a way for you to screen for your child to not have a condition that would be either life-threatening or life-altering for them—I mean, it’s already happened.
Addressing Concerns and Expanding Access
While Orchid’s technology may currently attract well-off optimizers, Siddiqui emphasizes that the company has a philanthropic program to help families who cannot afford the $2,500 per embryo screening cost. She believes that expanding the menu of choice is essential and that censoring information about one’s child is not appropriate.
The Sacred Nature of Reproduction and the Need for Innovation
Siddiqui acknowledges that reproduction is a sacred and magnificent process, but she believes that this is precisely why it deserves more care and attention. She points out that many women still experience vaginal tearing during childbirth and that some even die, highlighting the need for more energy and engineering effort to be put into reproductive health.
The Importance of Population Growth and Human Innovation
Siddiqui expresses concern about population decline, stating that society will collapse if the population continues to shrink in the places we love. She emphasizes the importance of humans as innovators and creators, and believes that solving the issue of population decline is critical.
Orchid: Revolutionizing Reproductive Technology
The Inspiration Behind the Name
When asked about the inspiration behind naming her company Orchid, the founder explained that she wanted to choose a name that would represent the company’s mission while also making reproductive technology seem less intimidating. After considering various flower names, she ultimately settled on Orchid, as she finds them to be beautiful and captivating.
Addressing the Inevitable Theranos Comparison
The founder expressed her frustration with the inevitable comparison to Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, a question she dreads being asked. She finds it disheartening that any female CEO in a tech-adjacent field is constantly questioned and compared to other female fraudsters, regardless of the lack of connection between their companies or actions.
It’s a sad state of affairs where—my friends who aren’t even in health, they say they get it too. It’s like, any female CEO with any tech-adjacent thing is constantly being questioned—by the way, are you like this other fraud? Do you want to comment on this other random fraud that occurred that has absolutely nothing to do with you besides the person being the same gender as you?
The Double Standard in Credibility
The founder believes that there is no charitable interpretation of this line of questioning, other than acknowledging the deep-rooted misogyny in society. She points out that men’s frauds and failings are often overlooked, while a single woman’s actions are used to represent all female CEOs. In her view, society treats men as inherently credible, while women are met with skepticism by default.
Society treats men as, like, default credible. For a woman, the default is skeptical.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
6 Comments
The future called, it wants its sci-fi plot back—women deciding the fate of generations!
Did the concept of mother nature just get a human face or what?
Let’s not pretend this isn’t the ultimate “choose your player” scenario for humanity, shall we?
Sounds like someone’s taking “playing God” to a whole new level, doesn’t it?
Oh, suddenly the maternity ward turned into a selection committee, how intriguing!
Hazel Foster: A modern-day Genesis tale, but with a twist—women in charge!