Illumina wins NIPT patent case in UK High Court
The UK Patents Court has ruled that two separate non-invasive prenatal tests infringe patents licensed by the US firm Illumina...
A test carried out during weeks 15-20 of the pregnancy, in which a small amount of the fluid that surrounds the fetus is removed for biochemical or genetic testing. It can assess whether the fetus could develop, or has developed, an abnormality or serious health condition.
The UK Patents Court has ruled that two separate non-invasive prenatal tests infringe patents licensed by the US firm Illumina...
The new 'reflex' method of antenatal screening for Down's, Edwards' and Patau's syndromes was described last week as a 'transformational advance'. It might be cheaper than other approaches, but it could come at the cost of informed choice for pregnant wom
A more accurate and safer prenatal test for Down's, Edwards' and Patau's syndromes is to be offered by the NHS from 2018, it has been announced...
Several online companies now offer non-invasive prenatal testing for Down's syndrome. While there are some protections for consumers, they are currently insufficient...
The introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing in the NHS screening programme for pregnant women may seem like a no-brainer, but it is based on outdated ideas of what life is like for people with Down's syndrome and their families...
This book makes a startling prediction — within the next 20 to 40 years, most people with access to good healthcare will no longer have sex to conceive their children. Instead, parents will simply provide a few skin cells as the raw material for production of embryos...
by Amina Yonis
Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is improving all the time, and the tests may soon be offered to all pregnant women on the NHS. This event explored how to ensure that prospective mothers are properly counselled to make informed decisions about their pregnancy...
by Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
Although our recent findings on the fate of aneuploid cells in mosaic embryos have indeed been somewhat misrepresented in the press, our findings may still constitute a strand of hope for mothers who have had early test results showing mosaic aneuploidy...
Press coverage of a recent study on mouse embryos speculates that termination of human pregnancies diagnosed with aneuploidy (a family of conditions including Down's syndrome) at prenatal diagnosis could be unnecessary, due to the ability of the fetus to 'heal itself'. In fact, the paper's findings are not relevant to aneuploidy detected at prenatal diagnosis...
A new blood test for Down’s syndrome in high-risk women has been recommended for use on the NHS....
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.