Genetic analysis of amniotic fluid shows promise for monitoring fetal development
According to new study in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics
2011-08-09
(Press-News.org) Philadelphia, PA, August 8, 2011 – Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of focused fetal gene expression analysis of target genes found in amniotic fluid using Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) technology. This analysis could be used to monitor fetal development, enabling clinicians to determine very early in pregnancy whether fetal organ systems are developing normally. The study appears today in the September issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Using a previously developed SNAP gene panel as proof of concept, investigators from the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Prevail Dx determined that 7 of the 21 genes assayed were expressed differently depending on fetal sex or gestational age. Results were obtained from amniotic fluid supernatant samples from fetuses between 15 to 20 weeks of gestation, when standard amniotic fluid testing is performed.
"In the future, fetal gene expression panels could prove useful in prenatal care to evaluate function in cases of at-risk pregnancies and fetal pathologies," commented lead investigator Lauren J. Massingham, MD, Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. According to the investigators, further studies using this gene panel approach could elucidate the complex immune pathways involved in the maternal-fetal relationship.
Dr. Massingham added, "Some genes in the current panel may prove to be useful components of a fetal gene expression panel. Future studies are warranted to identify additional genes to be incorporated, including inflammatory, developmental, and gastrointestinal genes. This technique could be optimized to examine specific genes instrumental in fetal organ system function, which could be a useful addition to prenatal care."
SNAP technology allows for the simultaneous quantitative assessment of tens to hundreds of genes from reduced and degraded nucleic acid samples, overcoming the quality concerns of processing primary human samples. Gene expression that varies by up to five orders of magnitude can be quantified using a single assay.
INFORMATION:
The article is "Proof of Concept Study to Assess Fetal Gene Expression in Amniotic Fluid by NanoArray PCR" by Lauren J. Massingham, Kirby L. Johnson, Diana W. Bianchi, Shermin Pei, Inga Peter, Janet M. Cowan, Umadevi Tantravahi, and Tom B. Morrison (doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2011.05.008). It will appear in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, Volume 13, Issue 5 (September 2011) published by Elsevier.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-08-09
Two new studies have found that smokers who tend to take their first cigarette soon after they wake up in the morning may have a higher risk of developing lung and head and neck cancers than smokers who refrain from lighting up right away. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results may help identify smokers who have an especially high risk of developing cancer and would benefit from targeted smoking interventions to reduce their risk.
Cigarette smoking increases one's likelihood of developing various types of ...
2011-08-09
A new technique that stimulates heart muscle cells with low-energy light raises the possibility of a future light-controlled pacemaker, researchers reported in Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology, a journal of the American Heart Association.
"Electronic cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators are well established and successful technologies, but they are not without problems, including the breakage of metal leads, limited battery life and interference from strong magnetic fields," said Emilia Entcheva, Ph.D., senior author of the study and associate professor of ...
2011-08-09
Siblings of those who have been hospitalized with potentially lethal blood clots in the legs or pelvis are more likely to also suffer the disorder than those with healthy siblings, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The Swedish study is the first to show a direct correlation between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and family risk in a nationwide setting, sorted by age and gender.
VTE consists of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which typically involves blood clots that form in the deep veins of the leg or pelvis, and ...
2011-08-09
An undergraduate student has overcome a major hurdle in the development of invisibility cloaks by adding an optical device into their design that not only remains invisible itself, but also has the ability to slow down light.
The optical device, known as an 'invisible sphere', would slow down all of the light that approaches a potential cloak, meaning that the light rays would not need to be accelerated around the cloaked objects at great speeds ― a requirement that has limited invisibility cloaks to work only in a specified region of the visible spectrum.
This ...
2011-08-09
The development of drugs for brain-related conditions is not an efficient process; only 8% of candidate drugs that enter clinical trials gain FDA approval. A key reason for this low success rate is a lack of preclinical tests that accurately predict drug efficacy and detect unwanted side effects. But now, Jeremy Nathans and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, have developed a new preclinical approach that they hope can be used alongside current strategies to guide more efficient drug development for brain-related conditions.
In the study, ...
2011-08-09
EDITOR'S PICK: Drug development in the blink of an eye
The development of drugs for brain-related conditions is not an efficient process; only 8% of candidate drugs that enter clinical trials gain FDA approval. A key reason for this low success rate is a lack of preclinical tests that accurately predict drug efficacy and detect unwanted side effects. But now, Jeremy Nathans and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, have developed a new preclinical approach that they hope can be used alongside current strategies to guide more efficient ...
2011-08-09
Parents often ask their doctors for advice on toilet training young children, and a new article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj110830.pdf summarizes current approaches and evidence to help physicians respond to these queries.
"Toilet training is felt to be a natural process that occurs with development, yet very little scientific information is available for physicians who care for children," writes Dr. Darcie Kiddoo, Divisions of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, ...
2011-08-09
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—August 8, 2011—A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has discovered how gene regulation can make hearts beat out of sync, offering new hope for the millions who suffer from a potentially fatal heart condition.
In a paper being published this week in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Gladstone Investigator Benoit G. Bruneau, PhD announces the identity of the molecular regulator that uses electrical impulses to synchronize each heartbeat.
Abnormalities in heartbeat synchronization, called heart arrhythmias, ...
2011-08-09
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An early phase multiple myeloma trial has unexpectedly revealed that the drug lenalidomide interacts with another protein in cells that affect its dose level in the body, say researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) who conducted the study.
Lenalidomide is an anti-inflammatory drug, and more than 390 clinical trials have been initiated to study its activity in a number of cancers and other diseases.
The study found that lenalidomide ...
2011-08-09
Many people use herbal medicines believing them to be safe simply because they are 'natural'. However many of these products have potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs and can have similar side effects to conventional drugs. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine reveals that many over-the-counter herbal products do not contain any of the key information required for safe use.
Despite their wholesome image, many herbal products have adverse effects and a third of users are completely unaware of any risks. Researchers ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Genetic analysis of amniotic fluid shows promise for monitoring fetal development
According to new study in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics
