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The leading DNA sequencing company, Illumina, is making moves to become a larger presence in the world of prenatal testing by recently acquiring the new company Verinata. The current procedures offered to mothers whose fetus's are at high risk for chromosomal abnormalities are very invasive and can cause miscarriages. Instead of withdrawing samples from the placenta and/or amniotic fluid, they wish “to search for these chromosome disorders starting from 10 weeks of gestation on, … [by] sequenc[ing] the bits of DNA floating in a sample of the mother’s blood” (Young, 6).
“Around 12% of the DNA in the mother's blood belongs to her fetus” (Young, 7). This is much less invasive and risky. Also it could be offered to all soon to be mothers instead of just those with high-risk pregnancies. They soon hope to be able to test for not just whole chromosomal errors, such as Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome which result from trisomy of chromosomes twenty-one and eighteen, respectively, but to be able to map the fetus's entire genome and find specific gene mutations and disorders. Right now the only thing blocking this from happening is money. “‘As sequencing gets cheaper and cheaper, if you wanted to look at a particular mutation, say, in the cystic fibrosis gene, you may be able to do that in the future,’” says Heath (Young, 16).
This of course brings up ethical issues. If parents are able to find out that their child will have a debilitating disorder some may chose to abort the pregnancy. Many believe that this is unethical and that people should live out their lives the way their cards were dealt, even if the hand is not that good. With these new scientific possibilities more ethical questions are being raised as well.
“Around 12% of the DNA in the mother's blood belongs to her fetus” (Young, 7). This is much less invasive and risky. Also it could be offered to all soon to be mothers instead of just those with high-risk pregnancies. They soon hope to be able to test for not just whole chromosomal errors, such as Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome which result from trisomy of chromosomes twenty-one and eighteen, respectively, but to be able to map the fetus's entire genome and find specific gene mutations and disorders. Right now the only thing blocking this from happening is money. “‘As sequencing gets cheaper and cheaper, if you wanted to look at a particular mutation, say, in the cystic fibrosis gene, you may be able to do that in the future,’” says Heath (Young, 16).
This of course brings up ethical issues. If parents are able to find out that their child will have a debilitating disorder some may chose to abort the pregnancy. Many believe that this is unethical and that people should live out their lives the way their cards were dealt, even if the hand is not that good. With these new scientific possibilities more ethical questions are being raised as well.
Blog Post Author: Dani Kaprielian, Section 124-25.
Article Citation:
Young, Susan. “A Brave New World of Prenatal DNA Sequencing.” MIT Technology Review. 30 January 2013. Web. February 2013. <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510181/a-brave-new-world-of-prenatal-dna-sequencing/>
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