One million children have been born worldwide as a result
of assisted reproductive technologies, yet the effects of
these procedures on the health and development of the
resulting children is unclear. While some medical studies
suggest that ART children are as healthy as their naturally
conceived peers, others associate ART with a higher
incidence of cancer, birth defects and genetic diseases.
"Parents and healthcare providers need access to
accurate information on the health and developmental risks
associated with these technologies," said Kathy Hudson,
director of the
Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins.
To assess current medical knowledge about the health
and development of ART children and make recommendations
for future research priorities, the Genetics and Public
Policy Center has established the ART Children's Health
Panel. This expert panel, co-sponsored by the American
Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine, will review the scientific
literature and produce a report outlining its findings and
recommendations. The report is expected this fall.
The ART Children's Health Panel will evaluate
scientific and medical studies on the health of children
born through in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm
injection and embryo cryopreservation, and those born after
having preimplantation genetic diagnosis. The panel's
report will identify where current data are conflicting or
inconclusive and make recommendations for future
research.
The five panelists are leading experts in pediatrics,
obstetrics/gynecology, epidemiology and genetics. Chaired
by Steven N. Goodman, an associate professor of oncology
and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, the panel inludes Marcelle
I. Cedars, University of California, San Francisco; Judith
Hall, University of British Columbia; Joe Leigh Simpson,
Baylor College of Medicine; and Arnold W. Strauss,
Vanderbilt University.
"This study is intended to provide greater clarity on
the safety and efficacy of IVF, the underlying technology
that feeds all advanced reproductive techniques," said
Sandra Carson, president of ASRM.
Russell Chesney, chair of the AAP Committee on
Pediatric Research, said, "Through this study we hope to
understand the impact of ART on children's health and
development in a way that will inform and guide future
research, its use and the oversight of ART-based
therapies."
The Genetics and Public Policy Center is a part of the
Phoebe
R. Berman Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins and is
funded through a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts. The
center's mission is to create the environment and the tools
needed by decision makers in both the private and public
sectors to carefully consider and respond to the challenges
and opportunities that arise from scientific advances in
genetics.