Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is a screening procedure that is performed on an embryo after
in vitro fertilization and before implantation. During the procedure, one cell is removed from a
mass of eight cells and is screened for genetic abnormalities. If no abnormalities are present, the
remaining mass of seven cells is placed into a woman’s uterus.
11. A cell that is removed from a mass of eight cells is useful for genetic screening because it
A. is more specialized than a zygote
B. has undergone many cell divisions
C. contains one copy of each human chromosome
D. contains a complete set of human chromosomes
D. contains a complete set of human chromosomes
The cell that is removed from a mass of eight cells is known as a blastomere and is useful for genetic screening because it contains a complete set of human chromosomes. This allows for comprehensive genetic testing to be performed on the embryo before implantation.