Overview
- Preventive, founded in 2025 in San Francisco and led by CEO Lucas Harrington, says it remains in pre-clinical research and has not approved any embryo implantation.
- The company raised about $30 million to advance its studies and protect intellectual property, with reported investors including Sam Altman and Brian Armstrong.
- Harrington publicly rejected a report that a carrier couple had been identified for future tests, stating that no human trials will begin until safety is assured.
- Heritable editing of human embryos is prohibited in the United States and restricted in many countries, with coverage citing the Oviedo Convention; any clinical push would likely require legal changes or work outside these jurisdictions.
- Scientists warn of off-target effects and other uncertainties, while ethicists caution that efforts framed as disease prevention could slide into trait selection and deepen inequities given private, high-cost access.