All current prenatal genetic tests are expensive and take days or weeks to deliver results. This adds to pregnancy-related emotional stress and also impacts treatment options. US researchers have developed STORK (Short-read Transpore Rapid Karyotyping) , a test that determines chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus or embryo using tissues from placenta, and IVF embryos. It uses nanopore-based sequencing technology to analyze tiny fragments of DNA 15,000 times faster than current methods.
The researchers tested STORK in 218 blinded samples from miscarriages, pregnancies via amniotic fluid or chorionic villi, and embryos. Results of the STORK test were comparable with the results of standard clinical tests in all pregnancy-related samples and 98% of the embryos assessed. In addition, STORK was more accurate than the standard test in assessing miscarriage samples. Benefits over the current…
