BACKGROUND Increased fetal DNA in maternal plasma/serum has been reported in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. We hypothesized that impaired clearance of fetal DNA might contribute, at least in part, to the above-mentioned phenomenon. METHODS We studied 7 preeclamptic and 10 control pregnant women. All had male fetuses. Serial blood samples were obtained from before delivery to 6 h pos...

BACKGROUND Analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma has recently been introduced as a new method for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis, particularly for the analysis of fetal genetic traits, which are absent from the maternal genome, e.g., RHD or Y-chromosome-specific sequences. To date, the analysis of other fetal genetic traits has been more problematic because of the overwhelming presence of ma...

Invasive methods for prenatal diagnosis include chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis that entail the risk of fetal loss and mortality. During pregnancy, fetal cells including fetal DNA crossed the placenta and within maternal peripheral blood those valuable sources of the sex and genetics information fetuses. It is demonstrated fetal DNA in plasma and serum from healthy pregnant wo...

in previous years, identification of fetal cells in maternal blood circulation has caused a new revolution in non-invasive method of prenatal diagnosis. low number of fetal cells in maternal blood and long-term survival after pregnancy limited the use of fetal cells in diagnostic and clinical applications. with the discovery of cell-free fetal dna (cffdna) in plasma of pregnant women, access to...

Prenatal diagnosis of monogenic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and beta-thalassemia, is currently offered as part of public health programs. However, current methods based on chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis for obtaining fetal genetic material pose a risk to the fetus. Since the discovery of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma, the noninvasive prenatal assessment of paternally...

F etal cells are consistently found in the maternal circulation, and polymerase chain reaction based studies have led to the identification of cell free fetal DNA (fetal DNA) in maternal blood. Approximately 1.2 nucleated fetal cells/ml of whole blood from women carrying a male fetus were detectable, and relative enrichment of fetal DNA was detected in the maternal plasma and serum. The amount ...

F etal cells are consistently found in the maternal circulation, and polymerase chain reaction based studies have led to the identification of cell free fetal DNA (fetal DNA) in maternal blood. Approximately 1.2 nucleated fetal cells/ml of whole blood from women carrying a male fetus were detectable, and relative enrichment of fetal DNA was detected in the maternal plasma and serum. The amount ...

Featured Article: Lo YMD, Tein MSC, Lau TK, Haines CJ, Leung TN, Poon PMK, et al. Quantitative analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum: implications for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. Am J Hum Genet 1998;62:768 –75. There has been a multidecade search for noninvasive methods of prenatal diagnosis. In 1997, my group reported the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma and ...

1. Hahn S, Holzgreve W. Prenatal diagnosis using fetal cells and cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood: what is currently feasible? Clin Obstet Gynecol 2002;45:649–56. 2. Chiu RW, Lo YM. The biology and diagnostic applications of fetal DNA and RNA in maternal plasma. Curr Top Dev Biol 2004;61:81–111. 3. Lo YM, Tein MS, Lau TK, Haines CJ, Leung TN, Poon PM, et al. Quantitative analysis of fetal ...