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" A new blood test may provide a safer, non-invasive way to diagnose Down&amp;#039;s syndrome during pregnancy. At present, the genetic disorder can only be diagnosed during pregnancy by performing an invasive procedure to obtain samples of the fluid surrounding the unborn baby or cells from the placenta. Now, scientists at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics have developed a test which detects the disorder using a sample of the mother&amp;#039;s blood. The test looks for tiny amounts of foetal DNA, which can be used to detect extra copies of chromosome 21, which cause Down&amp;#039;s syndrome. Research is needed to confirm the findings, but the test - which is described in the journal Nature Medicine - appears to be both safe and accurate. Dr Nigel Carter, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, which was involved in the study, described the results as &amp;#039;extremely promising&amp;#039;. However, he emphasised: &amp;#039;A much larger-scale study will be required before we can see this test moving into standard clinical practice.&amp;#039; About one in every 1,000 live births is affected by Down&amp;#039;s syndrome, which is slightly more common in boys than girls. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a20720/blood-test-may-provide-safer-downs-syndrome-diagnosis/>