A local company has developed a noninvasive test for Down's syndrome that may prove to be as accurate a predictor as amniocentesis is for unborn children.
Amniocentesis is a procedure that requires the piercing of a woman’s uterus with a needle to withdraw and test amniotic fluid.
The new blood test was developed by a San Diego company, Sequenom, which recently released what it described as positive test data.
“There were no false negatives and there was only one false positive," Sequenom’s CEO Harry Stylli told KPBS. "That’s how our test works. You’re not dealing with risk factors anymore, right. You’re absolutely going down to the genetic crux of the equation.”
The company conducted clinical trials on 858 pregnant women and identified 28 of them as cases of Down’s syndrome.
Listen to KPBS's report
For more information on the clinical trials, click on Sequenom.
