Blood test detects Down syndrome during pregnancy
February 23, 2012 in Obstetrics & gynaecology
Second company develops noninvasive screen for condition.
(HealthDay) -- A second company reports that it has developed a prenatal blood test to detect Down syndrome, potentially providing yet another option for pregnant women who want to know whether their unborn child has the condition.
Last fall, Sequenom Inc. announced that it was making a prenatal Down syndrome blood test, available in 20 cities in the United States. It marked the first time that pregnant women could undergo a Down syndrome test without having to go through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, which are invasive and pose a small risk of miscarriage.
Now, two studies published online Feb. 21 and in the April print issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggest that another blood test, this one developed by Aria Diagnostics, can detect Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome, which can cause severe birth defects and is often fatal. In both studies, testing was conducted before 20 weeks gestation.
One of the studies, written by Aria Diagnostics researchers, correctly detected 44 cases of the two disorders out of 167 prenatal blood samples. The other study, by researchers from University of London and University College London, correctly detected all Down syndrome cases and 98 percent of Edwards syndrome cases.
The test "would be useful as a secondary test contingent upon the results of a more universally applicable primary method of screening," senior study author Dr. Kypros H. Nicolaides, of the University of London, said in a journal news release. "The extent to which it could be applied as a universal screening tool depends on whether the cost becomes comparable to that of current methods of sonographic and biochemical testing."
Dr. Brian Skotko, a physician with the Down Syndrome Program at Children's Hospital Boston, said the test's accuracy is "pretty good," although the studies didn't test as many samples as Sequenom did for its test.
Several other companies are developing prenatal tests for Down syndrome, said Skotko, who predicted that competition in the prenatal blood test market would lead to lower prices. Sequenom has said that its test won't cost mothers more than $235 in out-of-pocket costs.
The growth of these kinds of tests raises major questions, Skotko said: Will the tests become routine? If so, "will babies with Down syndrome slowly start to disappear?"
Some pregnant mothers choose to abort their unborn children after they are diagnosed with Down syndrome. Statistics suggest that their numbers have risen in recent decades, Skotko said.
More information: For more on Down Syndrome, go to U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
-
Understanding the implications of prenatal testing for Down syndrome
Sep 14, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
DNA blood test can cut invasive testing for Down's syndrome by 98 percent
Jan 11, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study: Mom's blood test can reveal Down syndrome
Mar 06, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study shows that new DNA test to identify Down syndrome in pregnancy is ready for clinical use
Oct 17, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Comfort or conflict: Earlier Down syndrome test
Jun 13, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Learning curve of Electromagnetism?
2 hours ago
-
thin glass in liquid
3 hours ago
-
How many joules expended for a push up?
6 hours ago
-
force to keep the folding doors
6 hours ago
-
Confusion regarding direction of kinetic friction on inclined plane.
7 hours ago
-
Mage hand
13 hours ago
- More from Physics Forums - Classical Physics
More news stories
Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status
New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.
Obstetrics & gynaecology
May 17, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
|
Breakthrough for IVF?
Elsevier today announced the publication of a recent study in Reproductive BioMedicine Online on 5-day old human blastocysts showing that those with an abnormal chromosomal composition can be identified by the rate at whic ...
Obstetrics & gynaecology
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Non-communicable diseases account for half of adult female deaths in rural Bangladesh
While global attention has for decades been focused on reducing maternal mortality, population-based data on other causes of death among women of reproductive age has been virtually non-existent. A study conducted by researchers ...
Obstetrics & gynaecology
May 14, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Turkish womb transplant woman's pregnancy terminated
Doctors have terminated the pregnancy of a 23-year-old Turkish woman who was the first ever to receive a uterus transplant from a dead donor, a hospital in southern Turkey said on Tuesday.
Obstetrics & gynaecology
May 14, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Study questions if bed rest prevents prematurity
New research is raising fresh concern that an age-old treatment for troubled pregnancies—bed rest—doesn't seem to prevent premature birth, and might even increase that risk.
Obstetrics & gynaecology
May 14, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
New research identifies risks, interventions for children's GI health
An increasing number of U.S. children are experiencing gastrointestinal issues that require interventions to resolve, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW).
AIDS science at 30: 'Cure' now part of lexicon
Big names in medicine are set to give an upbeat assessment of the war on AIDS on Tuesday, 30 years after French researchers identified the virus that causes the disease.
US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual
The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.
For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests
Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or ...
New case of SARS-like virus in Saudi: ministry
A new case of the deadly coronavirus has been detected in Saudi Arabia where 15 people have already died after contracting it, the health ministry announced on Saturday on its Internet website.
New colonoscope provides ground-breaking view of colon
A ground-breaking advance in colonoscopy technology signals the future of colorectal care, according to research presented today at Digestive Disease Week(DDW). Additional research focuses on optimizing the minimal withdrawal ...