PreventionGenetics Releases Comprehensive Fetal and Neonatal Loss Panel
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MARSHFIELD, WI – PreventionGenetics has launched a first of its kind Comprehensive Fetal and Neonatal Loss panel designed to answer difficult questions and provide answers for families.
“When families experience miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal loss, there are often many difficult questions around why it happened,” said Dr. Elizabeth McPherson, Medical Geneticist and Director of the Wisconsin Stillbirth Service Program. “Couples who experience these kinds of challenges are compelled to seek answers to questions like whether the event will happen again and if it could it have been prevented. Genetic testing can sometimes open the doors to answers.”
Miscarriages occur in 15 percent of clinically recognized pregnancies. Stillbirths occur in approximately 1 in 160 pregnancies in the United States. Neonatal death affects approximately 4 million babies annually worldwide. At least 50 percent of early miscarriages, 25 percent of stillbirths and 20 percent of neonatal deaths are due to abnormalities of the developing infant, most of which have a genetic basis. Genetic testing is important because many of these birth defects are difficult to recognize clinically. The two major genetic etiologies for miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal loss are chromosome abnormalities and single gene disorders.
PreventionGenetics' Fetal Concerns Panel includes sequencing and copy number variation (CNV) detction for 40 genes.The 40 gene panel of single gene disorders was developed under collaboration between dual-certified molecular geneticist and cytogeneticist, Dr. Diane Allingham-Hawkins, and Dr. McPherson, who has more than 30 years of experience evaluating stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
“This one-of-a kind panel encompasses several classes of genetic disorders that would be expected to increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, including Fetal Akinesia/Lethal Multiple Pterygium syndrome, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS), Noonan Spectrum Disorders, Peroxisomal Disorders, Glycogen Storage Disorders, and Long QT Syndrome,” said McPherson.
Testing through PreventionGenetics can lead to diagnosis and answers that have huge impact on families for multiple generations. In cases where the test does not yield a diagnosis, reflex to whole exome sequencing is available for a small additional cost. In addition, fetal DNA banking is available that would allow for future testing as science advances. For more information, contact PreventionGenetics.
About Prevention Genetics
Founded in 2004 and located in Marshfield, Wisconsin, PreventionGenetics is a CLIA and ISO 15189:2012 accredited clinical DNA testing laboratory. PreventionGenetics provides patients with sequencing and CNV tests for nearly all clinically relevant genes. These tests include our powerful and comprehensive whole exome sequencing test, PGxome®.