Noninvasive Testing for Fetal Aneuploidy: A Hong Kong Perspective

摘要

The discovery that cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) is detectable in maternal blood has led to the creation and development of a multi-million-dollar for-profit industry, predominantly focused in the United States and China. cffDNA is an expensive test that uses cell-free DNA originating from trophoblastic cells in the placenta, and it is viewed by some as nearly diagnostic for specific aneuploi-dies. In terms of genetic makeup, these placental trophoblastic cells are similar but not completely identical to that of the fetus.