Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) combined with bioinformatic analysis has been widely applied to detect fetal chromosomal aneuploidies such as trisomy 21, 18, 13 and sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) by sequencing cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) from maternal plasma, so-called non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). However, many technical challenges, such as dependency on correct fetal sex pred...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of noninvasive prenatal testing for all fetal chromosomal aneuploidies in an extremely high-risk group undergoing first trimester combined Down syndrome screening. METHOD A multicenter cohort prospective study in Taiwan was performed between June and December 2012. Maternal plasma was collected and shotgun massive parallel sequencing was performed on each...

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma is a novel approach, designed for detecting common aneuploidies in the fetus. The Israeli Society of Medical Geneticists (ISMG) supports its use according to the guidelines stated herein. The clinical data collected thus far indicate that NIPT is highly sensitive in detecting trisomies 21 and 18, and fairly sensitive...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of whole-genome array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in prenatal diagnosis in Hong Kong. METHODS Array CGH was performed on 220 samples recruited prospectively as the first-tier test study. In addition 150 prenatal samples with abnormal fetal ultrasound findings found to have normal karyotypes were analyzed as a 'further-test' study using Nimb...

The presence of foetal DNA in the plasma of pregnant women has opened up new possibilities for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. The use of circulating foetal DNA for the non-invasive prenatal detection of foetal chromosomal aneuploidies is challenging as foetal DNA represents a minor fraction of maternal plasma DNA. In 2007, it was shown that single molecule counting methods would allow the det...

During the last decade, the area of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) has rapidly evolved. Several methodological approaches have been presented and demonstrated a proof of concept for the NIPD of chromosomal aneuploidies. The two most promising methods are NIPD using next generation sequencing technologies and NIPD using Methylation DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) with real time qPCR. Bot...

OBJECTIVE Several non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) methods, which analyze circulating fetal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal plasma, suggest a fetal fraction (FF) ≥ 4% for a reportable result, with the assumption that fetal aneuploidies may not be detectable at lower FF. This study determined the actual limit of detection (LOD) of a massively parallel sequencing-based NIPT method and evalu...

Cancer evolution involves cycles of genomic damage, epigenetic deregulation, and increased cellular proliferation that eventually culminate in the carcinoma phenotype. Early neoplasias, which are often found concurrently with carcinomas and are histologically distinguishable from normal breast tissue, are less advanced in phenotype than carcinomas and are thought to represent precursor stages. ...