DNA of fetus decoded with risk-free test

For the first time, scientists have pieced together the entire DNA sequence of an 18-week-old fetus without having to use any invasive tests that could result in a miscarriage - an advance that offers a glimpse of the future of prenatal testing, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Using blood drawn from the mother and a sample of saliva from the father, the researchers -- led by Jay Shendure, a geneticist at the University of Washington in Seattle -- were able to scan the fetus' genome and determine whether it contained changes in the DNA code that can cause a genetic disorder. They could even pinpoint which mutations were inherited from Mom, which came from Dad, and which were brand new, the L.A. Times reported.

The technique is not affordable or practical, yet. But may experts anticipate that the technology will be refined and beome inexpensive in the near future. And that would mean that this type of prenatal testing could provide prospective parents with a simple, risk-free way to screen for one of the 3,000 or so known genetic disorders caused by mistakes in a single gene, the authors reported in Thursday's edition of Science Translational Medicine.

Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, senior vice president for research and global programs for the March of Dimes in White Plains, N.Y., said the technology could one day lead to more widespread screening of fetuses for genetic disorders.