Prenatal Testing Service Examines Risk for Fetal Aneuploidy

The Enzo Clinical Labs (New York, NY, USA), a subsidiary of Enzo Biochem, Inc. has entered into an agreement to market in its northeast US service area, a proprietary early noninvasive prenatal laboratory test (LDT) service. Called MaterniT21 Plus, the service was developed by the Sequenom Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Sequenom, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA). The partnership underscores strong integrated life science-clinical lab capabilities.

The MaterniT21 PLUS test analyzes the relative amount of 21, 18, 13, as well as X and Y chromosomal material in cell-free DNA. The test is intended for use in pregnant women at increased risk for fetal aneuploidy, can be used as early as 10 weeks' gestation, and is run exclusively by Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, doing business as Sequenom Laboratories Estimates suggest there are about 750,000 pregnancies at high risk for fetal aneuploidy each year in the United States.

"The addition of Sequenom Laboratories' innovative prenatal testing service provides an important complement to our extensive menu of women's health diagnostic assays, and also is testament to the strong and growing capabilities in the general and rapidly developing area of diagnostics resulting from integration of Enzo's Life Sciences and Clinical Labs," said Barry Weiner, Enzo president.

Enzo Biochem is a pioneer in molecular diagnostics, leading the convergence of clinical laboratories, life sciences, and therapeutics through the development of unique diagnostic platform technologies that provide numerous advantages over previous standards.

Related Links:
The Enzo Clinical Labs
Sequenom, Inc.