Gene Solutions continues to implement the free triSureFirst NIPT testing program for pregnant women | Gia Lai Electronic Newspaper

(GLO)- This June, the Institute of Medical Genetics - Gene Solutions continues to coordinate with many hospitals, Departments of Health and Population Departments in the Central Highlands, Central and Southeast regions to give away 300 free NIPT triSureFirst test samples to pregnant women.

The free triSureFirst genetic testing program "Don't let Down syndrome be a mother's worry" has been launched since April 1, 2023, with the desire to support pregnant women across the country to access the modern NIPT triSureFirst prenatal screening method, effectively detecting dangerous and common birth defects, helping to take better care of pregnancy.

Signing ceremony of sponsorship of 70 triSureFirst tests between the Institute of Medical Genetics - Gene Solutions and the Department of Health of Dak Lak province

Accordingly, the program offers a total of 800 free genetic test samples to pregnant women. In the initial phase, the program has given away 500 tests at 3 hospitals: Can Tho Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Phu Yen Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital and now continues to spread to other units across the country such as: Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health, Gia Lai Provincial Department of Health, Dong Nai General Hospital, Cuba-Dong Hoi Quang Binh General Hospital. At a medical unit or facility, Gene Solutions supports 50 genetic test samples, up to 300 genetic test samples for the project.

Pregnant women will be advised to take 10ml of blood for the triSureFirst NIPT test, which helps detect early the risk of the fetus having common and dangerous birth defects: Down, Edwards, Patau. In case the pregnant woman has a "positive" triSureFirst test result, Gene Solutions will support the cost of amniocentesis/chorionic villus sampling and free CNVSure diagnostic genetic testing (analyzing abnormalities and structures on 23 pairs of chromosomes), to find the ultimate cause of genetic diseases.

triSureFirst inherits the achievements of the NIPT testing method in the world and improves based on the genetic database of thousands of pregnant women in Vietnam, bringing outstanding advantages compared to conventional biochemical screening such as high accuracy of over 99%, fast results, no impact on the fetus, safe for pregnant women. In particular, the test has a positive predictive value of 94%, meaning the possibility of the fetus actually having the disease is very high when the test result is positive, helping to reduce 25-30 times the number of unnecessary amniocentesis cases compared to biochemical screening (positive predictive value of about 3-5%).

50 free triSureFirst tests were given to pregnant women in Gia Lai province.

Congenital malformations in children are diverse and complex. Of these, up to 55% of the causes of congenital malformations in fetuses are genetic. According to the recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, 1 in 700 live births will have Down syndrome. In Vietnam, on average, each year there are about 1,800 children born with Down syndrome, 250 children with Edwards syndrome and many other congenital malformations. Down, Edwards and Patau are the three most common syndromes caused by abnormal chromosome numbers and cause serious consequences for physical and intellectual development, requiring lifelong medical care and intervention. The risk of the fetus having these abnormalities in chromosome numbers often increases with the mother's age. In particular, pregnant women giving birth after the age of 35 are the high-risk group. However, it is worth noting that currently most children with Down syndrome are born to mothers under 35 years old, as this is a group with a high fertility rate but subjectively ignores important screening milestones.

Program to give away 50 triSureFirst tests to pregnant women at Phu Yen Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital

Previously, screening for common and serious fetal chromosomal abnormalities was only performed from 11-12 weeks onwards using traditional biochemical screening methods. Since the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal chromosomal abnormalities into clinical practice in 2011, this test has rapidly changed the prenatal screening landscape and has been applied in more than 60 countries and more than 10 million tests are performed each year. The rapid popularity of NIPT is driven by the needs of pregnant women and health professionals, and technological developments. NIPT can be indicated as a first-line test for all pregnant women for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.

A representative of the Institute of Medical Genetics - Gene Solutions said that the unit currently has prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) packages such as triSureFirst, triSure3, triSure9.5, triSure and triSure Procare. The triSure NIPT testing technique developed by the Institute of Medical Genetics - Gene Solutions has been widely applied in Vietnam, helping many pregnant women to access it at a cost 10 times cheaper than testing and sending samples abroad as before.

Since 2018, Gene Solutions has performed triSure NIPT testing on more than 500,000 pregnant women, helping over 65,000 pregnant women avoid unnecessary amniocentesis, bringing peace of mind to parents. Thanks to its many outstanding advantages, triSure NIPT testing has been trusted and prescribed by more than 2,500 obstetricians at 2,000 hospitals/clinics nationwide.

PV

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