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Quantification of Circulatory Fetal DNA in the Plasma of Pregnant Women

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Prenatal Diagnosis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 444))

Summary

The analysis of cell-free fetal DNA in the circulation of the pregnant woman plays the pivotal role in noninvasive prenatal research. Here, we describe an improved method for the quantification of male DNA, which is a valuable research tool for the quantification of fetal DNA. The quantification of fetal DNA serves two main purposes. First, the levels may indicate certain pregnancy-related disorders such as preeclampsia even before onset of the disease; thus, the quantification may serve as a marker for early detection. Second, extraction and enrichment strategies of the fetal DNA compartment are important factors in the development and implementation of clinical tests, such as detection of fetal sex, Rhesus D status, point mutations, and aneuploidies. In this context, the quantification of fetal DNA is an important tool for the evaluation of protocols.

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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Zimmermann, B.G., Maddocks, D.G., Avent, N.D. (2008). Quantification of Circulatory Fetal DNA in the Plasma of Pregnant Women. In: Hahn, S., Jackson, L.G. (eds) Prenatal Diagnosis. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 444. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-066-9_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-066-9_17

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-803-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-066-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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