NIPT: A screening of the fetus that will help detect chromosomal abnormalities

• NIPT is a non-invasive and safe screening of the fetus, which will help detect chromosomal abnormalities
• NIPT is highly accurate and there is to be seen a significant decrease of 50-70 % in invasive procedures
• The results were confirmed through invasive testing or clinical examination post birth

MedGenome, a genomics-based diagnostic and Research Company conducted India's first systematic study on a Non-invasive prenatal screening test (NIPT).

NIPT is a non-invasive and safe screening of the fetus, which will help detect chromosomal abnormalities. For the test, a small blood sample was taken from the mother's arm to analyse the DNA for any such abnormalities.

According to the reports, the screening test (NIPT) is highly accurate. It also showed a significant decrease of 50-70 % in invasive procedures. The results were confirmed through invasive testing or clinical examination post birth.
About 516 pregnant women were examined for the study with intermediate to high risk on conventional screening including quadruple marker test and double marker test in the first two trimesters.

After the test, the women with high-risk pregnancies were found to be at a low risk with NIPT. This means that pregnant women can avoid invasive procedures that may cause anxiety or comes with a risk of miscarriage.

“NIPT is not gestation age specific and can be offered to all pregnant women to be assured of their baby’s health. Also, due to high accuracy, safety and low false positive rate NIPT is a viable option for any pregnant woman and can be performed from as early as the 9th week of a pregnancy,” said Dr Priya Kadam, the Program director of NIPT, MedGenome.

“NIPT is a revolutionary test and with increased awareness and adoption this test can help significantly reduce our country’s genetic disorder burden,” she added.

Some of the leading hospitals that participated in the study included All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi; Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi; Rainbow Hospital, Hyderabad; Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry and many others.