(MENAFN) A US startup funded by prominent Silicon Valley investors is reportedly working on an embryo-editing initiative that could result in a “genetically engineered baby” free from hereditary illnesses and potentially with enhanced intelligence, according to reports.

While gene-editing is already used for postnatal therapies, editing embryos with the aim of creating designer babies is prohibited in the US and many other countries.

The San Francisco-based startup, called Preventive, “has been quietly preparing what would amount to a biological first,” reports indicate. Founded earlier this year by gene-editing scientist Lucas Harrington, the company is backed by tech leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong.

Preventive states its mission is to “end hereditary disease by editing human embryos before birth,” a goal that has sparked intense ethical debate over safety and the prospect of designer children. Correspondence reviewed by reporters suggests the company has been exploring jurisdictions where embryo editing is legally permitted to conduct its research.

After being contacted by the press, Preventive disclosed that it had raised $30 million to pursue embryo-editing experiments, after keeping the project under wraps for six months. Armstrong has reportedly suggested that gene editing could yield children less susceptible to disease, and at one point discussed revealing a healthy engineered baby secretly to foster public acceptance, according to the report.

Critics warn the initiative risks veering into eugenics. Fyodor Urnov, director at the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley, commented that individuals “armed with very poorly deployed sacks of cash” are effectively attempting “baby improvement.”

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