Lenetix launches prenatal blood test for Down's syndrome
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Lenetix has launched its PloidYX maternal blood test, designed to detect Down’s syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities in the first and second trimester of pregnancy. The Mineola, New York firm hopes the diagnostic will reduce the number of unnecessary invasive tests, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, which carry a risk of miscarriage. Pregnant women undergo these tests if they are deemed to be "at risk" by ultrasound and biochemical exams – however, these can be inaccurate. Lenetix’s test exploits methylation differences between the foetal and maternal DNA in maternal blood, in order to selectively amplify and then analyse the foetal component. Historically, the low number of foetal cells in a maternal blood sample has made it difficult to separate foetal and maternal DNA.