90 results about "Maternal blood" patented technology

The present methods are exemplified by a process in which maternal blood containing fetal DNA is diluted to a nominal value of approximately 0.5 genome equivalent of DNA per reaction sample. Digital PCR is then be used to detect aneuploidy, such as the trisomy that causes Down Syndrome. Since aneuploidies do not present a mutational change in sequence, and are merely a change in the number of chromosomes, it has not been possible to detect them in a fetus without resorting to invasive techniques such as amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling. Digital amplification allows the detection of aneuploidy using massively parallel amplification and detection methods, examining, e.g., 10,000 genome equivalents.

A method for preserving and processing fetal nucleic acids located within maternal plasma is disclosed, wherein a sample of maternal blood containing fetal nucleic acids is treated to reduce both cell lysis of the maternal blood cells and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) and ribonuclease (RNase) activity within the fetal nucleic acids. The treatment of the sample aids in increasing the amount of fetal nucleic acids that can be identified and tested while maintaining the structure and integrity of the fetal nucleic acids.

The present invention recognizes that diagnosis and prognosis of many conditions can depend on the enrichment of rare cells from a complex fluid sample. In particular, the enrichment of fetal cells from maternal samples, such as maternal blood samples, can greatly aid in the detection of fetal abnormalities or a variety of genetic conditions. In addition, the present invention recognizes that the enrichment of rare malignant cells from patient samples, can aid in diagnosis, prognosis, and development of therapeutic modalities for patients. The invention includes microfabricated filters for filtering fluid samples and methods of enriching rare cells of fluid samples using microfabricated filters of the present invention. The invention also includes solutions for the selective sedimentation of red blood cells (RBCs) from a blood sample and methods of using selective RBC sedimentation solutions for enriching rare cells of a fluid sample. Yet another aspect of the invention is an automated system for processing a fluid sample that includes: at least one filtration chamber that includes a microfabricated filter; automated means for directing fluid flow through at least one filtration chamber of the automated system, and means for collecting enriched rare cells. The present invention also includes methods of using automated systems for separating rare cells from fluid samples. Preferred fluid samples are blood, effusion, or urine samples, and rare cells that can be enriched from such sample include nucleated red blood cells and cancer cells.

The non-invasive detection of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies is demonstrated. Alleles of fetal RNA-SNPs present in a biological sample (e.g. maternal blood) containing fetal RNA are detected and quantified in order to determine the ratio of the alleles. This ratio is compared to a standard control consisting of euploid fetuses. Deviation of allele ratio indicates the presence of chromosomal aneuploidy.

Chromosomal abnormalities are responsible for a significant number of birth defects, including mental retardation. The present invention is related to methods for non-invasive and rapid, prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities based on analysis of a maternal blood sample. The invention exploits the differences in DNA between the mother and fetus, for instance differences in their methylation states, as a means to enrich for fetal DNA in maternal plasma sample. The methods described herein can be used to detect chromosomal DNA deletions and duplications. In a preferred embodiment, the methods are used to diagnose chromosomal aneuploidy and related disorders, such as Down's and Turner's Syndrome.

Methods and kits are provided for diagnosing, monitoring, or predicting preeclaimpsia in a pregnant woman, trisomy 18 and trisomy 21 in a fetus, as well as for detecting pregnancy in a woman, by quantitatively measuring in the maternal blood the amount of one or more RNA species derived from a set of genetic loci and comparing the amount of the RNA species with a standard control.

The invention relates to a kit for prenatal testing comprising a size-based separation module which enriches a first cell type from a maternal blood sample found in vivo in a pregnant female at a concentration of less than 1% of all blood cells, and a set of instructions for analyzing said one or more enriched cells to make a prenatal diagnosis. In some embodiments, the size-based separation module can comprise a plurality of obstacles to selectively direct the one or more cells of the first cell type in a first direction away from one or more cells of a second cell type.

The invention provides methods of increasing the fetal fraction in maternal blood and plasma. This increase in fetal fraction improves the accuracy and decreases the “no call” rate for prenatal testing that measures fetal DNA in maternal blood.

The invention relates to a method of identifying fetal abnormality from a maternal blood sample by capturing an image of a fetal nucleated red blood cell obtained from the maternal blood sample; inputting probe intensities for a plurality of nucleic acid probes that bind fetal nucleic acids of interest; analyzing the probe intensities; and generating a diagnostic output according to results of the analysis. In some embodiments, the probes are specific to a chromosome.

The invention provides methods of increasing the fetal fraction in maternal blood and plasma. This increase in fetal fraction improves the accuracy and decreases the “no call” rate for prenatal testing that measures fetal DNA in maternal blood.

Methods and kits are provided for diagnosing, monitoring, or predicting the conditions of pre-eclaimpsia, fetal chromosomal aneuploidy, and pre-term labor in a pregnant woman, as well as for detecting pregnancy in a woman, by quantitatively measuring in the maternal blood the amount of one or more mRNA species encoding human chorionic gonadotropin β subunit (hCG-β), human placental lactogen (hPL), human corticotropin releasing hormone (hCRH), KiSS-1 metastasis-suppressor (KISS1), tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TPFI2), placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1), or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and comparing the amount of the mRNA species with a standard control.

The present methods are exemplified by a process in which maternal blood containing fetal DNA is diluted to a nominal value of approximately 0.5 genome equivalent of DNA per reaction sample. Digital PCR is then be used to detect aneuploidy, such as the trisomy that causes Down Syndrome. Since aneuploidies do not present a mutational change in sequence, and are merely a change in the number of chromosomes, it has not been possible to detect them in a fetus without resorting to invasive techniques such as amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling. Digital amplification allows the detection of aneuploidy using massively parallel amplification and detection methods, examining, e.g., 10,000 genome equivalents.

The present invention relates to a system and a method for evaluating the risk of carrying a fetus with genetic anomalies such as aneuploidy and in particular, to such a system and method where a screening system and method is provided to identify fetus' having trisomy-21 (Down's syndrome) with the use of biochemical marker concentrations evaluated from the maternal blood serum.

Methods and kits are provided for diagnosing, monitoring, or predicting the conditions of pre-eclaimpsia, fetal chromosomal aneuploidy, and pre-term labor in a pregnant woman, as well as for detecting pregnancy in a woman, by quantitatively measuring in the maternal blood the amount of one or more mRNA species encoding human chorionic gonadotropin β subunit (hCG-β), human placental lactogen (hPL), human corticotropin releasing hormone (hCRH), KiSS-1 metastasis-suppressor (KISS1), tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TPFI2), placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1), or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and comparing the amount of the mRNA species with a standard control.

The present invention provides assay systems and related methods for detecting genetic abnormalities and infectious agents in maternal samples. Exemplary maternal samples for analysis using the assay systems of the invention include maternal blood, plasma or serum.

An embodiment of a method of predicting maternal hypertension during pregnancy is disclosed. The method may include measuring a maternal blood velocity waveform and measuring a fetal blood velocity waveform. The method may further include the calculation of a coherence value using a magnitude-squared coherence function between the maternal and fetal blood velocity waveforms and comparing the coherence value to a predetermined threshold value.

The invention provides methods and compositions for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal aneuploidies. A large panel of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) have been identified. Certain of these DMRs are hypomethylated in adult female blood DNA and hypermethylated in fetal DNA, whereas others are hypermethylated in adult female blood DNA and hypomethylated in fetal DNA. Moreover, DMRs that are hypomethylated in adult female blood DNA and hypermethylated in fetal DNA have been shown to accurately predict a fetal aneuploidy in fetal DNA present in a maternal blood sample during pregnancy. In the methods of the invention, hypermethylated DNA is physically separated from hypomethylated DNA, preferably by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation.

The disclosure relates to an apparatus for segregating particles on the basis of their ability to flow through a stepped passageway. At least some of the particles are accommodated in a passage bounded by a first step, but at least some of the particles are unable to pass through a narrower passage bounded by a second step, resulting in segregation of the particles. The apparatus and methods described herein can be used to segregate particles of a wide variety of types. By way of example, they can be used to segregate fetal-like cells from a maternal blood sample such as maternal arterial blood.

The invention provides a method for extracting and cryopreserving hematopoietic stem cells taking a placenta as a source. The extraction method comprises the following steps: cleaning and detecting collected placenta and maternal blood; repeatedly performing lavage on the placenta detected to be qualified by using lavage fluid so as to obtain lavage fluid containing the hematopoietic stem cells; and concentrating and purifying the extracted lavage fluid containing the hematopoietic stem cells, thereby obtaining the hematopoietic stem cell population. The lavage method adopted in the hematopoietic stem cell extraction process in the invention is simple in equipment and convenient to operate, and the closed lavage system can effectively avoid infection of bacteria in air. According to the lavage method, the recovery rate of the extracted hematopoietic stem cells is extremely high, and waste of resources is effectively avoided. A programmed temperature control manner is adopted in the cryopreservation process of the hematopoietic stem cells, and the corresponding cryopreservation rate is set according to temperature rise and drop rules in the cryopreservation process of the hematopoietic stem cells, so that the hematopoietic stem cells can be prevented from being damaged to the greatest degree.

This invention provides a method for concentrating and collecting small quantities of fetal nucleated red blood cells contained in the maternal blood. The method for concentrating and collecting nucleated red blood cells from the maternal blood comprises: (i) subjecting the maternal blood to a first density-gradient centrifugation and collecting a cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells; (ii) treating the cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells so as to selectively changes the density of the nucleated red blood cells from that of the white blood cells; and (iii) subjecting the treated cell fraction containing the nucleated red blood cells to a second density-gradient centrifugation so as to collect a fraction containing nucleated red blood cells.

Methods are disclosed for the automated prenatal genetic diagnosis of aneuploidy using an automated fluorescence microscope, conducted on samples of maternal blood that have been hybridized with FISH probes.

An embodiment of a method of predicting maternal hypertension during pregnancy is disclosed. The method may include measuring a maternal blood velocity waveform and measuring a fetal blood velocity waveform. The method may further include the calculation of a coherence value using a magnitude-squared coherence function between the maternal and fetal blood velocity waveforms and comparing the coherence value to a predetermined threshold value.

The invention discloses a method for separating fetal nucleated red blood cells in maternal peripheral blood. The method comprises the following steps: (a) enriching nucleated cells, namely, (1) collecting whole blood, (2) centrifuging, and collecting cell precipitates, (3) preparing cell suspension, namely adding a cell culture medium to the cell precipitates, and uniformly mixing so as to prepare the dilute cell suspension, (4) putting a cell separating medium in a centrifugal tube in advance, and adding the dilute cell suspension to a layering liquid surface, (5) centrifuging so as to obtain a cell layer, and (6) sucking up the cell layer, adding Hank, s liquid, uniformly mixing, centrifuging at a room temperature, and washing cells, and (7) resuspending the cells; and (b) screening the fetal nucleated cells in the maternal blood, to be specific, (9) separating out the fetal nucleated red cells, and (10) carrying out quadruple morphology identification on nucleated red cell pictures obtained by sorting, and collecting the nucleated red cells meeting the standards for extracting the fetal whole genome DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). According to the method, the purity and the recovery rate of the fetal nucleated red blood cells obtained by the separation and purification of the maternal peripheral blood are high.

Provided is a chip or the like having a particulate concentrating mechanism such as a mechanism that can selectively concentrate nucleated red blood cells contained in maternal blood and derived from a fetus and can collect the concentrated liquid rich in nucleated red blood cells, and also provided is a nucleated red blood cell concentrating / collecting method. A micro-channel chip for concentrating nucleated red blood cells has an inlet-side channel, an outlet-side channel, and a separation narrow channel provided between the inlet-side channel and the outlet-side channel. The separation narrow channel has an inner wall having a dimension through which non-nucleated red blood cells easily pass and nucleated red blood cells hardly pass, and has a means for deforming or moving part of the inner wall of the channel to have a dimension through which nucleated red blood cells easily pass. The following are also provided: a method for collecting a liquid in which nucleated red blood cells obtained by using this chip are concentrated; and a micro-channel chip for concentrating particulates other than for concentrating nucleated red blood cells.