ISOLATION OF FETAL CELLS FROM MATERNAL CIRCULATING BLOOD

AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WOMEN DELAY PREGNANCY IN FAVOR OF CAREERS. CURRENTLY, 20 PERCENT OF ALL LIVE BIRTHS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE TO WOMEN OVER 30 YEARS OF AGE. THE RISK OF AN ABNORMAL CHILD DUE TO CHROMOSOMAL DEFECTS INCREASES NONLINEARLY WITH AGE, 1 PER 385 BIRTHS FOR WOMEN AGE 30 AND 1 PER 81 BIRTHS AT AGE 39. THUS, IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT WOMEN OF ADVANCING CHILD-BEARING AGE ARE HIGHLY INTERESTED IN FETAL CHROMOSOMAL ANALYSIS. THIS ANALYSIS, KARYOTYPING, IS CURRENTLY DONE ON TISSUE OR CELLS OBTAINED BY CHORIONIC VILLUS SAMPLING AT 10 WEEKS OR AMNIOCENTESIS AT 16 TO 18 WEEKS GESTATION. BOTH PROCEDURES ARE SURGICALLY INVASIVE AND THUS POSE SOME RISK TO THE FETUS. RECOMTEX CORPORATION PROPOSES THAT FETAL CELLS PRESENT IN MATERNAL CIRCULATING BLOOD EARLY IN PREGNANCY CAN BE UTILIZED FOR KARYOTYPING. SMALL BLOOD SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE VEIN IN THE ARM OF PREGNANT WOMEN AT 7 TO 12 WEEKS OF GESTATION DURING EACH PROPSECTIVE MOTHER'S FIRST VISIT TOHER OBSTETRICIAN. THE REMOVED RED AND WHITE BLOOD CELLS ANDFETAL CELLS WERE THEN ISOLATED USING APPROPRIATE IMMUNOLOGICAL PROCEDURES. HUMAN FETAL CELLS ARE BEING CULTURED IN PREPARATION FOR KARYOTYPING.