New Downs Syndrome test

Published on: 05/04/2015

Great Ormond Street Hospital are trialling a new screening blood test for Downs Syndrome.  The test has been developed after the recent discovery that the DNA of the growing foetus circulates in its Mother’s blood stream.  The new test is thought to be 99% accurate (compared to the current ‘combined test’ offered by the NHS which is 84%-90%) and though it would still indicate a need for further more invasive tests to confirm a diagnosis, it is likely to reduce the number of false positives.

Professor Lyn Chitty, from Great Ormond Street said “These are really exciting times; this cell-free DNA is changing prenatal care dramatically. I think it broadens access to testing. really; a number of women will decline invasive testing because of the risk of miscarriage and they may well take up non-invasive prenatal testing.”

Find out more here from the RCM and read the BBC article here