Carolyn Abraham
Saturday's Globe and Mail
February 7, 2009 at 11:43 PM EST

Learning about the genetic health of an unborn child could soon be as simple as giving blood.

A new prenatal test is slated to hit the market this summer that requires nothing more than a sample of a pregnant woman's blood for doctors to analyze the DNA of her developing fetus.

Current methods to collect fetal DNA, such as amniocentesis, involve an intrusion into the uterus that can trigger a miscarriage – a risk that makes many couples refuse the procedure. But after 30 years of effort, science appears to be on the cusp of delivering a safe, non-invasive test that can detect Down syndrome and other genetic conditions by capturing the minute bits of fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's bloodstream.

Read the full article on the website of the Globe and Mail.