Amniocentesis News and Research

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Sequencing-based test effectively detects many fetal genetic defects

Researchers have developed a new screening test that allows detection of fetal abnormalities in maternal blood by deep sequencing cell-free DNA extracted from plasma.

14 Jan 2013

Microarray analysis ‘best test for prenatal diagnosis’

Chromosomal microarray analysis is able to identify significantly more clinically relevant information for prenatal diagnosis than is karyotyping, and is equally able to highlight aneuploidies and unbalanced rearrangements, US study findings suggest.

10 Dec 2012

New prenatal genetic test results in more clinically relevant information

A large, multi-center clinical trial led by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) shows that a new genetic test resulted in significantly more clinically relevant information than the current standard method of prenatal testing.

6 Dec 2012

Vascular cell generation could be used to treat vascular disorders

A study in mice has shown that large numbers of vascular endothelial cells can be generated from human amniotic fluid-derived cells.

23 Oct 2012

Reprogrammed vascular endothelial cells from ACs shows promise against vascular disorders

A new approach for generating large numbers of circulatory system cells, known as vascular endothelial cells (VECs), from human amniotic-fluid-derived cells (ACs) is reported in a study published by Cell Press October 18th in the journal Cell. The strategy, which shows promise in mice, opens the door to establishing a vast inventory of VECs for promoting organ regeneration and treating diverse vascular disorders.

20 Oct 2012

Reprogrammed endothelial cells for treatment of vascular disorders

A research team at Weill Cornell Medical College has discovered a way to utilize diagnostic prenatal amniocentesis cells, reprogramming them into abundant and stable endothelial cells capable of regenerating damaged blood vessels and repairing injured organs.

19 Oct 2012

$Fetal fraction of cfDNA does not vary significantly among pregnant women regardless of trisomy risk$

Fetal fraction of cfDNA does not vary significantly among pregnant women regardless of trisomy risk

A study published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine demonstrates that the fraction of fetal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood is unaffected by the mother's presumed risk for trisomy, offering support for the use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for detecting genetic conditions such as Down syndrome in a broad patient population.

28 Aug 2012

Researchers use maternal blood sample to sequence genome of an unborn baby

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time sequenced the genome of an unborn baby using only a blood sample from the mother.

5 Jul 2012

Scientists reprogram amniotic fluid cells without introduction of extra genes

Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a study published today in the journal Molecular Therapy. Scientists from Imperial College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes.

4 Jul 2012

Novel assay accurately detects trisomy 21 or 18 from maternal blood samples

Current screening strategies for Down syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 21 (T21), and Edwards syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 18 (T18), have false positive rates of 2 to 3%, and false negative rates of 5% or higher. Positive screening results must be confirmed by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, which carry a fetal loss rate of approximately 1 in 300 procedures. Now an international, multicenter cohort study finds that a genetic test to screen for trisomy 21 or 18 from a maternal blood sample is almost 100% accurate.

6 Jun 2012

LifeCodexx completes PraenaTest clinical study on trisomy 21

LifeCodexx today announced the successful completion of the clinical validation study of its noninvasive test method for the detection of fetal trisomy 21 from maternal blood using Next Generation sequencing.

2 May 2012

DANSR/FORTE assay more effective in diagnosing Edwards and Down syndrome

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.

22 Feb 2012

Obama campaign pushes back against Santorum attack on prenatal testing

Campaigning in Ohio on Saturday, Rick Santorum displayed his culture-warrior side in full force ... He lambasted the president's health care law requiring insurance policies to include free prenatal testing, "because free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done because we cull the ranks of the disabled in our society".

21 Feb 2012

Researchers derive vessel-forming stem cells from amniotic fluid

Researchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital have turned stem cells from amniotic fluid into cells that form blood vessels. Their success offers hope that such stem cells may be used to grow tissue patches to repair infant hearts.

7 Feb 2012

Non-invasive test for early detection of fetal gender

A new research study published in the January 2012 edition of The FASEB Journal describes findings that could lead to a non-invasive test that would let expecting mothers know the sex of their baby as early as the first trimester.

4 Jan 2012

A more accurate blood test to detect fetal Downs syndrome launched

Pregnant mothers in the U.S. who wish to know whether they're carrying a fetus with Down syndrome now have access to a commercial genetic blood test that has a 99 per cent accuracy rate.

20 Oct 2011

New DNA-based prenatal blood test can identify pregnancy with Down syndrome

A new DNA-based prenatal blood test that can strikingly reduce the number of risky diagnostic procedures needed to identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome is ready to be introduced into clinical practice.

18 Oct 2011

New guidelines for the treatment of acromegaly, a serious growth hormone disorder

It’s said a lot can happen in seven days. In seven years, a lot has happened in the understanding of acromegaly, a debilitating condition that causes a patient to have too much growth hormone. It’s seven years since the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists last produced guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly. Their 2004 guidelines were just 13 pages long. Their latest, the 2011 guidelines, have grown – to 44 pages.

31 Aug 2011

Gene Security Network announces commercial launch of non-invasive prenatal test

Gene Security Network Inc. (GSN) today announced the commercial launch of its first non-invasive prenatal test powered by the company's proprietary bioinformatics technology, Parental Support™.

18 Aug 2011

Pink or blue – now find out at 7 weeks of pregnancy

Now a simple blood test can determine a baby’s sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy and is highly accurate if used correctly. Experts believe this will have a great impact on parents concerned about gender-linked diseases and those who are merely curious, as well as people considering the more ethically controversial step of selecting the sex of their children.

10 Aug 2011