A couple with a long family history of breast cancer have won the right to screen embryos for a gene that may trigger the disease in their children, The Times has learnt.

Embryos will be tested for a rogue gene that raises the lifetime risk of breast cancer to 80 per cent. The licence, awarded by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to the couple’s doctor, is the first of its kind in Britain.

The test is the first to be sanctioned for a gene that does not always cause disease in adults but carries a heightened risk. Before this decision, the procedure had only been approved for genes that invariably caused serious disorders, or that carried at least a 90 per cent risk of a disease that generally strikes in childhood.

The couple are being treated by Paul Serhal, of University College Hospital in London. He said: “I am delighted for them. This is an important milestone decision, because it has accepted the principle that this technique is appropriate for a gene that has an 80 per cent risk.

“It is a bold step by the HFEA, which means this family can root out a gene that has caused death and disease in generation after generation.”

The move will, however, reopen controversy over the ethics of the test, known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Opponents say that it is unethical as it involves destroying some embryos that would never develop disease, while any children that did become ill could expect many years of healthy life.

The couple, who have been named only as Matthew, 24, and Helen, 25, from Bedford, have lost three generations of Helen’s family to breast and ovarian cancer caused by the BRCA1 gene.

The couple are not planning to start treatment until next year, as they are waiting to discover whether their local primary care trust will fund it.

When they do decide to go through with the procedure, they will have IVF treatment even though neither partner has any reason to think that they are infertile. Eggs will be fertilised in the laboratory and a single cell removed for testing, and only those that are free of the mutant BRCA1 gene will be transferred to Helen’s womb.

A second couple, who are from London and are in their thirties, are still waiting for the HFEA to rule on Mr Serhal’s application to screen their embryos for the same gene. If this is successful, they plan to start treatment immediately.

Though the authority has agreed in principle that BRCA1 testing should be permitted, it still examines every individual patient on a case-by-case basis. Details of both applications were revealed exclusively by The Times in April. Gemma Wilkie, a spokeswoman for the HFEA, said: “I can confirm that the HFEA have granted a licence to University College Hospital in London to use PGD to screen for the BRCA gene which causes a susceptibility to inherited breast cancer. We have also received a further application for this condition which is still being considered.”

The BRCA1 gene raises the lifetime risk of breast cancer to between 60 and 80 per cent, and also raises the risk of ovarian cancer to 40 per cent. In men, it is linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer. Some women who know that they have inherited the gene opt for a mastectomy in order to reduce their risk, but even this cannot eliminate it completely.

— The London clinic run by Britain’s most successful fertility doctor has been cleared to continue treating patients while the HFEA considers allegations that he operated without the correct licence. The authority has granted Mohammed Taranissi a temporary licence until August 9. It is expected to announce a full ruling on the future of the clinic next week.

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