Maternal blood sample tells all

In an article published recently, researchers discussed a new finding that a blood sample taken from the mother can show fetal DNA. If perfected, this technique could lead to widespread non-invasive genome sequencing. Currently, invasive procedures such as amniocentesis are used to collect fetal DNA. There are risks with these procedures which is why there is so much excitement surrounding this non-invasive technique. Back in 1997 one researcher discovered the presence of "floating" fetal DNA in the blood of the mother. While much more work needs to be done to perfect, improve, and reduce the cost of this new procedure, the process involves taking a blood sample from the mother and working to isolate what little fetal DNA may be in the blood sample. In this particular study, a blood sample was taken and researchers sequenced 4 billion DNA molecules, the genetic maps of the father and mother were compared, looking for places where the maternal and paternal genetic inheritance differed in the fetus. Distinguishing the fetal DNA is challenging since it is surrounded by "an ocean of DNA that had been released by the maternal cells". Once the genome map has been established for the fetus, it can be scanned for variations and mutations. While still in the earliest stages of research, this finding seems promising in regards to eliminating risky invasive procedures to identify genetic diseases in unborn children