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prenatal testing

A blood test tube with the label ‘cfDNA Screening–Test’, held in a hand wearing blue gloves.

The Basics and Applications of Cell-Free DNA

Rebecca Roberts, PhD | Nov 8, 2023 | 5 min read

Found circulating in peripheral blood, scientists use cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to assess genetic abnormalities, infections, cancer, transplant rejection, and cardiovascular disease.

A portrait shot of Beryl Benacerraf, who wears a black shirt and gold necklace and smiles into the camera, on a bluish gray background.

Obstetrics “Giant” Beryl Benacerraf Dies at 73

Katherine Irving | Oct 26, 2022 | 2 min read

Benacerraf pioneered the use of ultrasound to diagnose fetal syndromes.

Lauren Gardner, this year's Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award winner, in front of the COVID-19 dashboard she helped create.

2022 Lasker Award Winners Announced

Katherine Irving | Sep 28, 2022 | 2 min read

This year’s awards recognize work on integrins, noninvasive prenatal screening, and COVID-19 data tracking.

A clinician in a white lab coat sitting in a chair uses an arm cuff to measure the blood pressure of a pregnant patient sitting across from them.

RNA in Blood Predicts High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Dan Robitzski | Jan 6, 2022 | 2 min read

Biomarkers in serum correlate with preeclampsia, a condition that can lead to fatal hypertension.

Circulating Fetal Cells Sequenced for Prenatal Testing Study

Emily Makowski | Dec 10, 2019 | 3 min read

Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.

Diagnostics Group Refutes FDA’s Concerns

Kerry Grens | Dec 17, 2015 | 1 min read

The Association for Molecular Pathology finds fault in the agency’s report on safety issues associated with certain lab tests.

Cuba Ends Mother-To-Child HIV

Bob Grant | Jul 2, 2015 | 2 min read

The Caribbean nation is the first to effectively eliminate the prenatal transmission of syphilis and the virus that causes AIDS, according to the World Health Organization.

Should Standard Prenatal Screening be Scrapped?

Bob Grant | Feb 28, 2014 | 2 min read

Researchers suggest that a new prenatal DNA test should become the new standard to detect Down syndrome in fetuses.

New DNA-based Prenatal Test

Dan Cossins | Mar 1, 2013 | 2 min read

Another company has launched a non-invasive DNA screen for genetic disorders in unborn babies, adding to the competition in an emerging market.

Top Genomes of 2012

Beth Marie Mole | Dec 20, 2012 | 4 min read

What researchers learned as they dug through some of the most interesting genomes sequenced this year

Year of the Fetus

Beth Marie Mole | Dec 18, 2012 | 6 min read

2012 saw the birth of a handful of non-invasive genetic prenatal tests, but the young industry faces growing pains as legal and ethical questions loom.

Patent War for Prenatal Tests

Cristina Luiggi | Jun 28, 2012 | 1 min read

Four companies who have developed noninvasive genetic prenatal tests are fighting over who has the patent rights to the new and revolutionary techniques.

Mom's Blood Reveals Baby's Down Syndrome

Jef Akst | Oct 25, 2011 | 1 min read

Last week researchers released the first non-invasive prenatal test for Down syndrome, and more such tests are expected in the coming months.