| DNA fingerprinting used to detect embryo genetic disorders -
21-06-2006, 07:17 PM
British scientists said on Monday they have developed a new screening test using DNA fingerprinting to detect genetic disorders in embryos, which could help couples avoid passing on inherited disease to their baby.
The new test, devised by doctors at the Center for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London, entails testing parents and any existing children or relations to identify around about a dozen markers of the disease.
The new test, called PGH (pre-implantation genetic haplotyping), will enable more couples at high risk of passing on a serious genetic illnesses to their children to ensure only healthy embryos are used in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
The embryos are screened for a genetic fingerprint of a disorder. This is done by taking one single cell from the embryo and amplifying it a million times in the lab.
This amplification makes it less likely that the results are faulty. A genetic test is also carried out on the parents, and family members, usually children, who have existing condition. The test soon identifies which chromosomes are faulty.
The scientists then compare the faulty patterns with those of the embryo to see if there is a similarity. The test, in short, identifies whether the embryo's genes have picked up the fault.
PGH can also tell whether the embryo has the genetic condition or is just a carrier. If the embryo does not have the condition, as is not a carrier either, it is healthy.
In use for the past three months, it has been tested on embryos for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a disease which means that both copies of chromosome 7 must carry a fault for a child to have the disease. Five successful pregnancies are underway, Guy's and St. Thomas' said in a press release.
"The development of this new approach for single-gene disorders represents a major step forward in widening the scope and availability of (embryonic gene testing) for serious diseases," the researchers said. Enditem
Angel xenoMED | NDR “Nothing brings me more happiness than helping people in the society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny.” | 
Linear Mode
