by Sylvie Langlois  and R Douglas Wilson

Received: 01 August 2017;  Published: 26 September 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1703007

Prenatal genetic aneuploidy screening approaches are designed to identify pregnant patients at increased risk of having a fetus affected. Conventional prenatal screening has consisted in providing women a risk estimate of having a pregnancy affected with trisomy 21 or trisomy 18 based on maternal age and analysis of serum markers and ultrasound nuchal translucency (NT) measurement [4]. In 2011, the introduction of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) based screening into clinical practice has provided new o [...]

by Anne-Marie Laberge  and Wylie Burke

Received: 30 July 2017;  Published: 21 September 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1703006

Genetic screening is the process of systematically evaluating a defined population for genetic conditions or predispositions, in the hope of providing benefit to those with a positive result. With advances in sequencing technology, genetic screening is moving from phenotype-based to genotype-based testing. Although sequencing technology offers expanded opportunities for early identification of disease, the availability of a suitable and acceptable test is not a sufficient justification to procee [...]

by John Old  and Cornelis Harteveld

Received: 03 July 2017;  Published: 14 August 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1703005

Carrier screening for the haemoglobinopathies has undergone many technological improvements in haematological and molecular diagnostic techniques since the first prenatal diagnoses by DNA analysis in the 1970s by Southern blot analysis enabled the implementation of effective successful prevention programmes for beta thalassaemia involving public education, carrier screening, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis in Mediterranean countries. The application of a wide variety of PCR-based mole [...]