Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of focused fetal gene expression analysis of target genes found in amniotic fluid using Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) technology. This analysis could be used to monitor fetal development, enabling clinicians to determine very early in pregnancy whether fetal organ systems are developing normally. The study appears today in the September issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. Using a previously developed SNAP gene panel as proof of concept, investigators from the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Prevail Dx determined that 7 of the 21 genes assayed were expressed differently depending on fetal sex or gestational age.
