Three couples have applied for embryo genetic testing before implantation ever since this was allowed following the introduction of a legal amendment to the IVF law a year ago.

The couples will have the genetic testing – to check for the presence of severe hereditary conditions – carried out abroad, and funded by the government, since Malta still lacks the tools to carry out the testing locally.

“Following the amendments to allow the testing of embryos for specific conditions listed in the Embryo Protection Authority’s protocol, Mater Dei Hospital issued several tenders for the procurement of the necessary equipment to carry out pre-implantation genetic (PGTM) testing in its lab. This procurement process has reached an advanced stage. The introduction of PGTM testing also necessitated additional changes in the ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) Clinic, which are under way as well,” a health ministry spokesperson said.

He said the change in legislation allowed the health authorities to apply the Cross Border Healthcare Directive to PGTM testing and “as a result, couples who opt to avail of this service in European clinics are being reimbursed for this procedure”.

In July last year, parliament approved legal amendments to allow pre-implantation genetic testing for nine monogenic disorders. These are Finnish Nephrotic Syndrome, Gangliosidosis, Huntington’s Disease, Joubert Syndrome, Maple Syrup Urine Syndrome, Nemaline Myopathy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Tay-Sachs Disease and Walker-Warburg Syndrome.

All of them except for Huntington’s Disease tend to appear shortly after birth. In the most severe cases, the baby lives for a few weeks or months under heavy medical treatment before it dies.

Huntington’s Disease often appears when people are in their 30s and 40s and, while some are only carriers, others inevitably develop its symptoms.

The nine disorders are listed in a protocol issued by the Embryo Protection Authority, which can be updated. Embryos found with one of these conditions will be cryopreserved and offered to the parents or put up for adoption if and when an effective treatment is found.