Embryo mix-up clinic apologises and pledges full cooperation with police probe

Heal Fertility has expressed deep shock over an embryo biopsy sample mix-up that has triggered a police investigation, apologising to affected patients and pledging full cooperation with authorities, the fertility clinic said in a statement on Wednesday.

The clinic said it has initiated a strict genetic re-testing process and confirmed that the original embryos stored in its liquid nitrogen bank remain intact and secure, with no errors, mix-ups or damage. The anomaly occurred only during the handling of biopsy samples sent for genetic testing, and the clinic said it has not affected the couples involved.

The Council on Human Reproductive Technology announced on Tuesday that multiple embryo biopsy samples sent for genetic testing did not match the genetic profiles of the prospective parents. Of eight questionable samples, seven have been traced back to their actual biological parents, while one remains unidentified.

Heal Fertility said it received notifications from the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Centre on May 26 and June 4 that some samples were abnormal and did not belong to the patients. The clinic voluntarily reported the incident to the council and suspended all new patient intakes from July 6.

The clinic has formed an internal investigation team and launched a patient contact mechanism, offering free consultations, counselling and genetic matching for all current patients. Babies born through the clinic's services will be offered genetic identification if needed. The clinic said it will assist existing patients with referrals to other medical centres for后续 treatment.

Prominent medical figures including former Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man and Sophia Chan, former Hospital Authority chairman Leong Che-hung, and microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung serve as advisers to the clinic's parent group, New Frontier, founded by former Financial Secretary Antony Leung.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓