Non-invasive prenatal test as good as invasive methods, say scientists
US biotech company Verinata Health has reported sequencing fetal DNA taken from pregnant women's blood to test for genetic abnormalities...
The presence of an extra chromosome, resulting in a total of three chromosomes of a particular type instead of a pair - for example, trisomy 21, which causes Down syndrome.
US biotech company Verinata Health has reported sequencing fetal DNA taken from pregnant women's blood to test for genetic abnormalities...
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...
Researchers have sequenced the entire genome of an 18 and a half-week-old fetus using DNA samples from the blood of its mother and saliva samples from its father. These findings provide a proof of principle that a fetus can be examined for genetic defects using non-invasive technologies...
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....
A couple from British Columbia, Canada, have been embroiled in a complex ethical battle after their surrogate refused their request to abort the fetus she was carrying. The couple made the request after tests revealed the baby would likely be born with Down's syndrome...
A Canadian couple may be forced to drop their malpractice claim against a hospital they claimed killed their daughter, who had a non-fatal genetic disorder. Annie Farlow, who had Trisomy 13, died in 2005 at 80 days old in Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Trisomy 13, also known as Patau's syndrome and trisomy D, is caused by an extra chromosome 13. This additional chromosome disrupts development causing, among other features characteristic of the syndrome, heart and kidney d...
The holy grail of prenatal diagnosis has been the identification of chromosome and single gene abnormalities through maternal blood sampling. This would allow safe accurate prenatal diagnosis, requiring much lower operator skills, and automation is potentially possible, making it cost-effective. In contrast, standard prenatal screening involves ultrasound and biochemical risk...
Scientists have discovered the earliest genetic changes that occur in Down's syndrome, resulting in the abnormal development of the foetus and eventually leading to the host of medical complications associated with the disorder. The findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, are a step forward...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Prague (sponsored by Planer cryoTechnology). By Dr Kirsty Horsey: Italian scientists have presented research at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Prague, Czech Republic, showing that eggs can be screened - before they are fertilised - for chromosomal abnormalities...
by BioNews
New recommendations for prenatal screening programmes to detect Down syndrome could lead to some chromosome abnormalities being missed, UK researchers say. A team based at Salisbury District Hospital looked at the likely effect of the proposal to scrap a type of testing called karyotyping in favour of newer, rapid methods...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.