Research In Brief

Ariosa Diagnostics' Harmony noninvasive prenatal blood test was found effective in screening a general population of pregnant women for trisomies that cause Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. In the blinded cohort study of 2,049 pregnant women, the test detected all cases of fetal trisomies 21 and 18, with a false-positive rate of 0.1%, compared to 4.5% with traditional combined first trimester screening with serum markers and ultrasound-based nuchal translucency measurement. Previous clinical studies have mainly involved women at high risk of carrying a fetus with trisomy (the presence of three chromosomes instead of two), the authors noted.

"The study builds on other recent findings that support the utility of noninvasive prenatal testing for any pregnant woman, regardless of risk categorization," Ariosa said in a Sept. 5 press...