Prenatal News and Research

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New ACMG Statement Urges Caution with Polygenic Risk Score Testing in Embryo Selection

Should we be using polygenic risk score assessment for embryo selection? Providing in-depth analysis, the Social, Ethical and Legal Issues Committee of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released a new Points to Consider statement to assist healthcare professionals and patients in understanding the safety and utility of preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders (PGT-P) as a clinical service.

26 Feb 2024

New Test Scrutinizes All Fetal Genes for Early Disease Detection

A research team from Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark has developed an innovative screening test.

9 Jan 2024

Unlocking the Mysteries of Fetal Brain Development

Cheryl Rosenfeld has dedicated three decades to investigating the transmission of biological information from mothers to babies during pregnancy.

6 Dec 2023

Yourgene Health Launches MagBench Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit for NIPT Workflows

Yourgene Health plc (“Yourgene”), a leading international molecular diagnostics group, today launched the Yourgene® MagBench™ Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit. MagBench solution is available to Sage™ customers across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

5 Sep 2023

Study identifies a novel rare mutation in gene linked to Harlequin Ichthyosis

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a severe genetic skin disorder characterized by thick white, brown, or dark brown patches on the skin covering a newborn's entire body. HI has a low incidence of 1 per 300,000 live births but comes with the highest mortality rate among skin conditions. It is caused by a mutation in the ABCA12 gene, which codes for a protein involved in transporting lipids necessary for the formation of the skin barrier. Such protein shortage leads to a weaker epidermal barrier.

9 Mar 2023

The detrimental effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy

For the first time, researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland examined the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the epigenome and gene function of the placenta. The epigenome is a molecular coating on a DNA strand that controls how genes are expressed.

4 Jan 2023

RNA-edited regions in brain shed light on neurodevelopment and disease

Numerous sites in the brain where RNA is altered over the course of a person’s lifespan through a process known as adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing have been identified by Mount Sinai researchers.

3 Nov 2022

Scientists reveal how autism-linked genetic mutation disrupts neural development using mini-brains

In a study published May 02, 2022 in Nature Communications, scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used human brain organoids to reveal how a genetic mutation associated with a profound form of autism disrupts neural development.

From UC San Diego 3 May 2022

Scientists recognize neuronal processes that regulate food cravings during pregnancy

Many people have experienced the sudden and unmanageable desire to eat a particular food. These desires, known as cravings, are very usual, especially during pregnancy.

From University of Barcelona 7 Apr 2022

Exposure to phthalates may alter a hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy

Exposure to phthalates-; a group of chemicals found in everything from plastics to personal care products to electronics-; may disrupt an important hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study.

13 Jan 2022

Study reveals a link between prenatal PFAS exposure and late-onset preeclampsia

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes referred to as "forever chemicals," are long-lasting, man-made substances known to pollute the drinking water supplies of many communities.

2 Nov 2021

Study sheds light on blood and immune systems development in prenatal bone marrow

Researchers carried out the first extensive investigation of the formation of the blood and immune systems in the prenatal bone marrow.

4 Oct 2021

Research finds an increase in prenatal cannabis usage

Kaiser Permanente analyzed more than 100,000 pregnancies and identified that there was a 25% increase in the rate of cannabis use early in pregnancy.

1 Oct 2021

Discovery may offer a promising new path for the study of multiple sclerosis

A surprising discovery may offer a promising new direction in the study of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of hypomyelination – when axons of neurons are not covered sufficiently in fatty sheaths (myelin), which disrupts communication between nerve cells.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers analyze the effects of using tetrahydrocannabinol during pregnancy

A group of scientists combined their mastery to obtain a thorough understanding of the risks linked with cannabis exposure at the time of pregnancy.

3 Sep 2021

Roots for obesity start in the first year of life, shows study

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil found that when health workers were trained to promote infant healthy feeding practices to pregnant women their children consumed less fats and carbohydrates at 3 years of age and had lower measures of body fat at the age of 6.

2 Jun 2021

Telomere length decreases most rapidly from birth to age 3, shows study

Telomeres are protective caps on DNA that shorten as we grow older. Now, one of the first studies to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood finds that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age.

25 May 2021

Psychoactive component of marijuana stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, study finds

In a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Children's Hospital Colorado have found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, further supporting the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine to abstain from marijuana use during pregnancy and while a mother is breastfeeding.

9 Mar 2021

Scientists implicate disruption in prenatal neurogenesis in the development of autism

A new study of autism risk genes by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis - a process in which specialized "progenitor" cells give rise to new brain cells - in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

9 Feb 2021

Exposure to air pollution during fetal period may contribute to higher blood pressure

Exposure to an urban environment characterised by high levels of air pollution and noise in areas with a high building density during the foetal period and in early childhood may contribute to higher blood pressure.

16 Nov 2020