Unborn babies could be tested for 3,500 genetic faults

Stephen Adams
London Telegraph
June 7, 2012

A team has been able to predict the whole genetic code of a foetus by taking a blood sample from a woman who was 18 weeks pregnant, and a swab of saliva from the father.

They believe that, in time, the test will become widely available, enabling doctors to screen unborn babies for some 3,500 genetic disorders.

At the moment the only genetic disorder routinely tested for on the NHS is Down’s syndrome.

This is a large-scale genetic defect caused by having an extra copy of a bundle of DNA, called a chromosome.

Read full article

This article was posted: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 12:57 pm

---

---

---

---