Fetal Nucleic Acid Technology

SEQureDx^TM, a Sequenom Technology is a revolutionary approach to genetic screening. Rather than harvesting placental tissue cells (as is required for chorionic villus), or entering the uterus to sample the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby (as is done with amniocentesis), SEQureDx Technology extracts DNA material safely and comfortably from the blood of the mother.

The process is simple: once the mother’s blood is extracted in a common blood draw, SEQureDx Technology utilizes circulating fetal DNA in maternal blood to examine the genetic status of the fetus. This breakthrough suggests that effective screening may be accomplished in the future without the risks associated with disturbing the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus.

While a number of genetic defects have the potential to be detected using the Sequenom’s SEQureDx Technology, the first application is the analysis of fetal RhD. RhD disease can occur when the blood of an expectant mother is incompatible with her unborn child. RhD incompatibility affects approximately one in one thousand live born infants and can lead to jaundice, anemia, brain damage, heart failure and death.