Police investigation launched as fertility clinic suspends services over major embryo biopsy sample mix-up

The Council on Human Reproductive Technology has reported a major medical incident involving a private clinic — named “HEAL Fertility” — that provides assisted reproductive services, which has led to the suspension of most of the clinic's services and triggered a police investigation.

It was revealed that multiple embryo biopsy samples sent for genetic screening did not match the genetic profiles of the prospective parents, raising concerns over potential human error or criminal offenses.

The Council said the genetic mismatch was uncovered in May when HEAL Fertility sent the samples to the Chinese University of Hong Kong for genetic tests. The testing process flagged inconsistencies in the samples and the case couples.

For the first case, which came with seven biopsy samples submitted, only one sample matched the DNA of the parents, while the remaining six did not. For the second case, both of the submitted samples failed to match their genetic profiles.

The Council noted that of the eight questionable samples, seven have been successfully traced back to their actual biological parents, while the origin of one remaining sample remains unknown.

Due to the severity of the mix-up and the possibility of human error or criminal elements, the council has officially reported the matter to the police for a thorough investigation.

Consequently, HEAL Fertility has been ordered to halt all new patient intakes, resulting in the immediate suspension of 14 of its 17 fertility services, with only its basic gamete and embryo storage services permitted to continue operating.

Authorities explained that while the error appeared to involve the mislabeling of embryo biopsy samples rather than a physical mix-up of the actual embryos intended for implantation, the blunder carries significant clinical risks, as implanting an unscreened or incorrectly identified embryo could severely impact the health of the resulting child.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health criticized the clinic for failing to report the serious patient sample identification error within the legally mandated 24-hour window. Although initial inquiries do not indicate a direct breach of the code of practice, the department has demanded that the fertility center submit a comprehensive investigative report within four weeks.

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