Source
Sequenom Inc., 3595 John Hopkins Ct., San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
We sought to evaluate a multiplexed massively parallel shotgun sequencing assay for noninvasive trisomy 21 detection using circulating cell-free fetal DNA.
STUDY DESIGN:
Sample multiplexing and cost-optimized reagents were evaluated as improvements to a noninvasive fetal trisomy 21 detection assay. A total of 480 plasma samples from high-risk pregnant women were employed.
RESULTS:
In all, 480 prospectively collected samples were obtained from our third-party storage site; 13 of these were removed due to insufficient quantity or quality. Eighteen samples failed prespecified assay quality control parameters. In all, 449 samples remained: 39 trisomy 21 samples were correctly classified; 1 sample was misclassified as trisomy 21. The overall classification showed 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, 89-100%) and 99.7% specificity (95% confidence interval, 98.5-99.9%).
CONCLUSION:
Extending the scope of previous reports, this study demonstrates that plasma DNA sequencing is a viable method for noninvasive detection of fetal trisomy 21 and warrants clinical validation in a larger multicenter study.
Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.