joshbyard:

Fetus’ Genome Can Be Sequenced From Mother’s Blood

For the first time, scientists have deciphered the genome of a fetus using only DNA from the unborn child’s parents.

The advance represents a significant step forward in the effort to create noninvasive genetic tests that could assess a wide array of genetic diseases.

A small percentage of the DNA in a pregnant woman’s blood comes from her fetus, a fact that scientists have begun exploiting to create prenatal genetic tests that don’t require invasive sampling of fluid from the uterus.

So far, tests have been limited to specific measures such as the genetic aberration that leads to Down syndrome; but the ability to sequence the entire fetal genome suggests that parents could someday get a much broader picture of their baby’s disease risk before birth.

(via Using Parents’ Blood to Decode the Genome of a Fetus - Technology Review)