Medical Use of Biotechnology

The purpose of the Act is to ensure that the medical use of biotechnology is utilised for the benefit of individuals in a society that accommodates everyone.

This should be done in accordance with principles of respect for human dignity, human rights, and personal integrity, and without discrimination based on genetic heritage, following the ethical norms established in our Western cultural heritage.

• Human Rights and Biomedicine (coe.int)

Assisted Reproduction

Assisted reproduction is a medical treatment provided to make a woman pregnant by means other than sexual intercourse.

The treatment may involve insemination with the partner's sperm or with sperm from a donor. It can also involve fertilisation outside the body.

This means that an egg from the woman herself or from an egg donor is fertilised outside her body before being reintroduced. Assisted reproduction can be offered to married, cohabiting, and single women.

• Assisted reproduction and IVF (bioteknologiradet.no, in Norwegian)

Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (Genetic Testing of Fertilised Eggs)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is a genetic examination of a fertilised egg before it is implanted into the woman's uterus.

This treatment is offered to couples who are at high risk of having a child with a serious hereditary disease. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can be combined with testing the tissue type of the fertilised egg.

This is done to select and implant a fertilised egg that will result in a child with a compatible tissue type, who can be a stem cell donor for a sibling with a serious hereditary disease.

• Genetic Testing of Fertilised Eggs (PFT/PGD) (bioteknologiradet.no, in Norwegian)

Prohibition of Cloning

According to the Biotechnology Act, it is prohibited to clone humans. It is also forbidden to conduct research on cell lines derived from cloned human embryos.

The term cloning encompasses various techniques for producing genetically identical copies.

• Cloning (bioteknologiradet.no, in Norwegian)

Prenatal Diagnosis

Prenatal diagnosis involves examining a foetus or a pregnant woman to obtain information about the genetic characteristics of the foetus, or to detect or rule out diseases or developmental abnormalities in the foetus.

Methods for prenatal diagnosis include ultrasound examinations, NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing), chorionic villus sampling, and amniocentesis. Early ultrasound (weeks 11 to 14) is offered to all pregnant women.

Prenatal diagnosis is also offered to pregnant women, for example, if the woman or her partner has previously had a child with a serious illness or developmental abnormality.

• Prenatal Diagnosis (bioteknologiradet.no, in Norwegian)

Genetic Testing of Born Individuals

A genetic test provides information about a person's hereditary traits, including through the analysis of genetic material. Predictive and presymptomatic genetic tests can indicate a person's risk of developing diseases in the future.

Genetic tests for carrier status reveal whether a person carries genes for hereditary diseases that may manifest in later generations. For predictive and presymptomatic genetic tests, as well as genetic tests for carrier status, tailored genetic counselling should be provided. Such tests should generally not be conducted on children under the age of 16.

To prevent misuse of information about the risk of future diseases, insurance companies and employers, for example, should not have access to predictive genetic information.

• Genetic Testing (helsedirektoratet.no, in Norwegian)

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a medical treatment where genetic material is transferred to human cells.

Gene therapy can only be used to treat or prevent the occurrence of disease.

• Gene Therapy (helsedirektoratet.no, in Norwegian)