VCGS signs deal to offer prenatal test

Victorian Clinical Genetics Services (VCGS) has signed a deal with genomics company Illumina to allow VCGS to offer a non-invasive prenatal test.

The test will use next-generation sequencing technology to screen for chromosonal abnormalities including Down syndrome.

The technology is capable of detecting at least 99% of pregnancies with the extra copy of chromosone 21 which causes Down syndrome.

Down syndrome occurs in around one in 700 births worldwide. In Australia, the proportion is closer to one in 1100 due to higher rates of termination here, according to Down Syndrome Australia.

The non-invasive test involves a collection of maternal blood for analysis, avoiding the need for invasive and potentially dangerous procedures including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Both are associated with increased risk of miscarriage.

“This agreement positions VCGS at the frontier of prenatal testing in Australia and offers patients exciting and powerful new options for genetic testing,” VCGS deputy laboratory director Dr Damien Bruno said.

VCGS is a subsidiary of Melbourne’s Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. It provides maternal serum screening for more than 58,000 women per year and also offers clinical genetics services.