(07-04) 12:00 PDT Stanford -- In a discovery that widens a lens into lives not yet lived, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have for the first time determined an unborn child's genome with nothing but a blood sample from the mother. This new approach to genetic testing, the scientists say, could expand families' ability to screen for potential disorders in fetuses without the risk of miscarriage that comes with conventional tests. In a few years, the testing could be part of a routine trip to the doctor. But outside experts argue it raises an ethical question that physicians and parents are not prepared to answer: Who deserves to be born? "Many families would dread having a child with Down syndrome," said Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group in Berkeley. "And, absolutely no questions asked, that would be a reason for them to terminate." The latest development in genome testing, outlined Wednesday in the science journal Nature, falls in the same vein as a June study from the University of Washington. Scientists there sequenced a fetus's DNA using both a blood sample from the pregnant woman and a saliva sample … Continue reading →

Researchers said Wednesday they were able to sequence the entire genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the mother, an advance in the effort to find noninvasive ways for expectant parents to determine if their babies will be born with genetic conditions. The findings, from researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, reflect intense interest in finding fast, relatively inexpensive and accurate ways to predict genetic conditions without the risks associated with currently available tests. Amniocentesis, for instance, which many couples rely on to obtain some genetic information about the fetus, requires insertion of a needle through the walls of a pregnant woman's abdomen and uterus, and has a small risk of miscarriage. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The Stanford technique, researchers said, doesn't require DNA from the father, an advantage given that a child's paternity may not be known in as estimated 3% to 10% of births in the U.S., according to sources cited in the Nature paper. "It is not that practical to assume you can get DNA from dad or you even know who dad is,'' said Stephen R. Quake, a professor of … Continue reading →

July 5, 2012 Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Stem cell research is gaining headway, but is still controversial. Scientists hope that a new discovery regarding stem cells from amniotic fluid will pave the way to an alternative option. A collaborative group of researchers recently discovered that stem cells in amniotic fluid can be changed into a more flexible state, which could possibly open another option to embryonic stem cells. The study was recently published in the journal Molecular Therapy and it described how a team of investigators from Imperial College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health were successful in reprogramming amniotic fluids without introducing extra genes. Based on the findings, the researchers believe that stem cells from amniotic fluid could be held in banks for therapy or research purposes. Amniotic fluid, which surrounds and feeds the fetus, can be taken from the mothers abdomen with a needle during amniocentesis and has stem cells from the fetus. These stem cells have more limitations in developing into other cells as compared to embryonic stem cells. These cells have a wide range of potential applications in treatments and in research. We are particularly interested in exploring their use … Continue reading →

(Phys.org) -- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) have created biodegradable, ultra tiny, nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body's sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo. The interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Justin Hanes of the JHU Center for Nanomedicine, developed the nanoparticles so that they not only penetrate mucus but degrade over time into harmless components. The team believes these nanoparticles have potential for delivering chemotherapeutic agents to tumors in mucus-coated tissues such as the lung and cervix. Reporting its work in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the Johns Hopkins team describes its development of a mucus-penetrating nanoparticle for achieving vaginal delivery of a drug that could prevent herpes simplex virus infection. However, the authors note that the same design principles would apply to a nanoparticle that would deliver anticancer agents to cervical tumors or cut through the mucus in the lungs. The new biodegradable particles are made of two polymers routinely used in existing medications: poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), known as PLGA, and poly(ethylene glycol), commonly called PEG. An inner core traps therapeutic agents inside the nanoparticle, while a dense outer coating allows a particle to move through mucus nearly as easily … Continue reading →