Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - 13:00
in Health & Medicine
Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome. The new approach is more scalable than other recently developed genetic screening tests and has the potential to reduce unnecessary amniocentesis or CVS. Two studies evaluating this approach are available online in advance of publication in the April issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG).