By Fiona Macrae

PUBLISHED: 18:30 EST, 12 July 2012 | UPDATED: 18:30 EST, 12 July 2012

A scientist has said the falling cost of DNA testing means Britain is on the verge of a new era of eugenics. Picture posed by model

It sounds like something from a dystopian nightmare. Instead of couples settling down after falling in love with each other, they will choose their partners based on the compatibility of their genes.

According to a leading scientist, the falling cost of DNA testing means Britain is on the verge of a new era of eugenics.

Professor Armand Leroi, of Imperial College London, said that within five to ten years it will be common for young people to pay for a read-out of their entire genetic code.

The desire to have a healthy baby will then lead them to requesting to see the genetic blueprint of any prospective long-term partner.

Armed with the information, the couple could then use IVF to weed out babies with incurable diseases, a major science conference in Dublin heard.

He added that it is unlikely that people will have the luxury of using the technology to design babies by intellect or eye colour and instead the focus will be on stopping genetic diseases.

Professor Leroi told the Euroscience Open Forum 2012 that in some ways eugenics are already here, with tens of thousands of unborn babies with Downs syndrome and other illnesses being aborted every year.

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Gene test could soon see if future lovers are compatible