For many couples, one of the most monumental moments in life is the decision made to conceive a child together and start a family. The usual questions that come to mind typically relate to simple matters such as potential baby names, diapers, clothes, pacifiers, cribs, blankets, and stuffed animals. New parents will also think about what customs, languages, and set of principles they want to pass along to their child. But what if there was something they didn’t want to pass along to their child? What if there was a 50/50 chance of unintentionally passing along a debilitating genetic condition? For Houston Astros pitcher Joe Smith and his wife, sports reporter Allie LaForce, this situation was a devastating reality.

Joe’s grandmother and mother were both diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease (HD), so he has seen first hand the debilitating effects of this condition. HD is a genetically inherited, neurological condition that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain and has no known cure. It gradually deteriorates a person’s mental and physical abilities, making it difficult to recall things, walk, or even speak. According to statistics from Huntington’s Disease Society for America (HDSA), every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the disease. Furthermore, there are approximately 30,000 Americans living with HD and 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the condition. It is because of these high risks that Joe and Allie have decided to conceive a child with the aid of in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

Through IVF, an ovum and sperm are combined outside the body to create a fertilized egg. This egg can be implanted into a woman’s uterus, allowing it to grow and develop. However, there is additional technology known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) that can be used alongside IVF. With PGD-IVF, the fertilized eggs can be genetically tested before implantation. In Joe and Allie’s instance, PGD-IVF can be used to screen for HD, ensuring that the fertilized egg does not carry the disease prior to implantation.

In an interview with Morgan Radford on The Today Show, Joe and Allie discuss in detail how HD has impacted their loved ones and their decision to use PGD-IVF. The interview is available here.

In the interview, Joe Smith is quoted as saying, “I’m just taking out a 50/50 chance…I just want that [HD] gone.”

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has recently approved a $6 million grant geared towards HD. This funding is for late stage testing needed to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration for permission to start a clinical trial in people. You can read more details about this award from a previous blog post here.