Introduction

Innovative method that allows separation of nucleated fetal cells from maternal peripheral blood at all gestational ages; a non invasive prenatal diagnosis useful for subsequent chromosome, gene expression and protein investigations.

Technical features

Prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and genetic diseases requires a source of fetal DNA or chromosomes. Non invasive prenatal screening tests are already established on free circulating fetal DNA in maternal blood. However, there are at least two major problems with the use of fetal DNA: 1) to isolate and identify with certainty fetal DNA from maternal DNA. 2) the reliability of isolated DNA, due to the fact that fetal DNA is fragmented. Therefore nowadays there is still a need for novel non invasive diagnostic techniques allowing accurate diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders in different gestational ages, lowering risks for the fetus or the mother. This innovative technology provides a method to isolate nucleated fetal cells, containing intact DNA, from the other cells present in maternal blood.

Possible Applications

• Non invasive prenatal diagnosis;
• Method applicable for liquid biopsy diagnosis.

Advantages

• Isolation of nucleated fetal cells;
• Feasible at all gestational ages;
• Immuno-TAG not required.