DNA Blueprint for Fetus Built Using Tests of Parents
By Andrew Pollack,
The New York Times
| 06. 06. 2012
[Quotes CGS's Marcy Darnovsky]
For the first time, researchers have determined virtually the entire
genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the pregnant woman and a
saliva specimen from the father.
The accomplishment heralds an era in which parents might find it easier
to know the complete DNA blueprint of a child months before it is born.
That would allow thousands of genetic diseases to be detected
prenatally. But the ability to know so much about an unborn child is
likely to raise serious ethical considerations as well. It could
increase abortions for reasons that have little to do with medical
issues and more to do with parental preferences for traits in children.
“It’s an extraordinary piece of technology, really quite remarkable,” said Peter Benn, professor of genetics
and developmental biology at the University of Connecticut, who was not
involved in the work. “What I see in this paper is a glance into the
future.”
The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational
Medicine, was written by genome scientists at the University of
Washington. They took advantage of new...
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