Safer Prenatal Testing
W
hile most expecting parents would like
to find out whether their developing baby
has a genetic disorder, many aren’t willing to
undergo an invasive and potentially risky
procedure to do so. A new technique developed at Brown may
help them get answers more safely.
By isolating placental cells known as trophoblasts
from cervical swabs, the researchers could get all
the fetal genetic material they needed to screen for
a range of disorders.
According to Christina Bailey-Hytholt, a
biomedical engineering graduate student who led
the research, the new technique requires no
specialized equipment beyond what any diagnostic lab
would already have, and it only takes a few minutes to produce
the cells necessary for genetic testing.
Currently the only way to diagnose genetic disorders in
developing fetuses is by retrieving trophoblasts through
amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, both invasive
procedures that carry a small risk of miscarriage. Blood
tests that look for fetal genetic material in the
mother’s bloodstream can be useful screening tools,
but they can’t be used for definitive diagnosis.
“There is a large need for biomedical engineering
techniques toward advancing prenatal and
women’s health,” Bailey-Hytholt says. “Our work
is a step toward more non-invasive prenatal
testing options.” ●
HEALTH DISCOVERIES l WINTER 2020 9
An experimental technique can check fetal health without endangering it. BY KEVIN STACEY