Offer screening in pregnancy for chromosome disorders earlier, say experts
Expectant mothers should be offered earlier screening for rare chromosomal conditions, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommends...
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.
Expectant mothers should be offered earlier screening for rare chromosomal conditions, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommends...
A new method for prenatal testing for Down's syndrome will be tried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), London....
US biotech company Verinata Health has reported sequencing fetal DNA taken from pregnant women's blood to test for genetic abnormalities...
More sensitive prenatal testing of fetal DNA could improve the detection of genetic diseases, studies find...
Non-invasive pre-natal screening for certain abnormalities in fetal chromosomes should be offered to at-risks mothers, recommends the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists...
The parents of a child with serious disabilities caused by an inherited rare genetic condition who died shortly after birth are suing St George's Hospital, London for failing to test for and identify the condition before birth....
Stem cells taken from amniotic fluid can be reprogrammed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells (ES cells) without the introduction of extra genes, UK scientists have found. The discovery offers hope that these cells could be banked for therapeutic use, research and drug screening...
US researchers have for the first time sequenced the genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the mother. It is hoped this new form of non-invasive sampling could allow doctors to screen for a range of genetic diseases prenatally, with minimal risk to the fetus...
A new prenatal test that can detect Down's syndrome by using a sample of the mother's blood was launched in twenty US cities last Monday....
An up-and-coming technology will soon allow genetic testing of a fetus with a simple maternal blood test early in the first trimester of the pregnancy by isolating cell-free fetal DNA in the mother's plasma. Currently, obtaining reliable diagnostic genetic information requires invasive testing with Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Both carry a risk of miscarriage and are performed between weeks 10 and 20 of the pregnancy...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.