Proof of concept study for erc nipd discovered biomarkers
Scientific and medical evidence indicate that non-invasive prenatal testing, known as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), is a safer alternative to invasive tests that might put the pregnancy at risk. Modern NIPT examine traces of fetal DNA in the maternal bloodstream to determine whether the fetus is at risk of chromosomal abnormalities such as, but not limited to, Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Patau syndrome (trisomy 13) and Edward’s syndrome (trisomy 18). In this ERC Proof of Concept Grant (mR-NIPD), we anticipate to correlate already discovered DNA biomarkers of the ERC NIPD (funded ERC) with biomarkers in mRNA transcripts. The method, directly related to the currently funded ERC, will use m6A-specific methylated mRNA immunoprecipitation combined with Next Generation Sequencing (MeRIP-Seq) on fetal and maternal mRNA samples. As a result, we aim to increase the number of fetal specific biomarkers and provide a novel, cost-effective non-invasive prenatal test that will be accessible to all pregnant women independent from social and economic status