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Fetal cells in maternal blood.
S S Wachtel1, L P Shulman, D Sammons
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee, 853 Jefferson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103, USA. swachtel@utmem.edu
Clinical Genetics
|March 22, 2001
Summary
Separating fetal cells from maternal blood allows for prenatal screening of genetic conditions like aneuploidies. Further research may enable widespread clinical application for diagnosing fetal disorders.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Genetics
- Cell biology
Background:
- Fetal cells circulate in maternal blood.
- Separating these cells is challenging due to low frequency.
- Fetal cell analysis offers non-invasive prenatal diagnostic potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review methods for fetal cell separation from maternal blood.
- To discuss the potential applications of fetal cell analysis in prenatal diagnosis.
- To highlight current limitations and future directions.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry
- Magnetic cell sorting
- Charge flow separation
- Polymerase chain reaction
- Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Main Results:
- Fetal lymphocytes, trophoblasts, and nucleated red blood cells can be isolated.
- Fetal cell frequency is estimated at 10-5 to 10-7, potentially higher in aneuploid pregnancies.
- Identified fetal conditions include sex, blood types, trisomies 13, 18, 21, triploidy, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia.
Conclusions:
- Fetal cell separation shows promise for screening common aneuploidies and potential prenatal diagnosis.
- Culturing and karyotyping of fetal cells could diagnose chromosomal and genetic disorders.
- Further development is needed for routine clinical application.