Decoding Fetal DNA From Mother's Blood Opens Door To Single Prenatal Test For Multiple Genetic Disorders

I chose this article because it deals with the most recently discussed topic in our physiology class, the reproductive system. In this article, a group of scientists from Hong Kong discovered a way to scan the entire genome of a fetus, using free-cell fetal DNA found in the mother's blood, and use this information to non-invasively test for multiple fetal genetic disorders. In order to do this, the scientists had to first prove that all of the fetal genome was contained in these "free-cells" found in the mothers blood. They successfully proved this, however they found out that the DNA was highly fragmented. Essentially they had to piece together only the fetal DNA from the billions of fragments contained in these cells. It is quite amazing the dedication it takes to complete such a task, which is one reason I found this article so intriguing. Unfortunately, this technology is currently very expensive. The scientists believe that in time the prices will drop and hopefully performing this test will be a common thing for newborns. I encourage everyone to read this article because it is very interesting and educational.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/210840.php

James Spencer