Research

San Francisco Startup Raises $30M for Embryo Gene Editing Research

Published NOV 10 2025

Story

Above: Coinbase Founder and CEO Brian Armstrong attends Consensus 2019 in New York City on May 15, 2019. Image credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

The Facts

A San Francisco startup called Preventive, led by gene-editing scientist Lucas Harrington, has raised $30 million to research embryo editing technology aimed at preventing hereditary diseases before birth.
UNILAD
The Wall Street Journal
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong are among the early investors backing Preventive, with Altman's husband Oliver Mulherin stating he led their investment to help families "avoid disease." The broader industry has received funding from Peter Thiel, Alexis Ohanian and Anne Wojcicki.
Metro
The Wall Street Journal
Federal law prohibits the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from reviewing applications for human trials involving genetically edited embryos intended for pregnancy, forcing companies to explore operations outside the country.
Moneycontrol
The Wall Street Journal
Because the practice is banned in over 70 countries, Preventive has looked to those where embryo editing might be permitted, including the UAE. While Preventive and another startup called Orchid focus on disease prevention, companies like Herasight and Nucleus Genomics say they're focused on other genetic traits — including intelligence and height.
illuminem
UNILAD
The Wall Street Journal
In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui created twins altered to resist HIV, resulting in his three-year prison sentence for illegal medical practices.
Metro
The Wall Street Journal
Critics, including University of California, Berkeley's Fyodor Urnov, warn that commercial embryo editing risks crossing into eugenics, while supporters argue the technology could help families with devastating genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis.
Moneycontrol
New York Post

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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The Spin

Narrative A

Gene-editing startups, if guided by rigorous ethics and transparency, deserve the chance to prove their promise. Used responsibly, CRISPR-based innovation could one day end countless hereditary diseases. The risks are well known, and researchers must weigh them at every step. With strict oversight, progress shouldn't be halted by fear.

The Wall Street Journal

NPR

Narrative B

Gene editing isn't just medicine; it's part of the billionaire class's quest for immortality, among darker aims. From autocrats fantasizing about 150-year lives to venture capitalists pushing embryo edits, the path tilts toward eugenics, so-called population "optimization," and engineered heirs. When power bankrolls biology, it's about control, not cures.

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This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.