The San Diego biotechnology company Sequenom plans to develop prenatal genetic tests that could offset the need for more-invasive and risky procedures that put mothers and fetuses at risk.
The company is to announce today that it has licensed patents from England's Oxford University that will give Sequenom broad rights to develop tests that examine fetal DNA found in plasma or serum derived from a sample of a pregnant woman's blood.
The blood test would be used to detect abnormal genes or other potential problems with an unborn child. Currently, prenatal testing for birth defects and mental retardation are usually done through amniocentesis, the insertion of a needle through the mother's abdomen to extract amniotic fluid. The procedure is expensive and increases the risk of miscarriage.
Sequenom, a struggling gene research company that last month laid off 44 workers, has been trying to reinvent itself as a more practical, products-oriented diagnostics business.
President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Stylli said the licensing agreement will help Sequenom accomplish its goal of profitability. The biotech hopes to bring its first test to market in 2007.
"This technology is pretty compelling and has lots of potential," he said. "These tests could provide reliable information early in the pregnancy and greatly enable decision-making during pregnancy."
If the tests are successfully brought to market, Sequenom could face competition from rival companies that are developing noninvasive prenatal tests.
San Diego's Aviva Biosciences is developing a biochip system to allow prenatal testing for Down syndrome and other genetic disorders using a blood sample from a pregnant woman.
The system detects traces of cells from the fetus that commonly flow through the woman's bloodstream. Laboratories can then analyze the sample for genes that cause defects.
Another San Diego company, Biocept, is developing a first-trimester prenatal test that can extract fetal cells from a sample on a cervical swab.
Sequenom's Stylli said diagnostic tests based on fetal nucleic acids, which is the area covered by the company's newly licensed patents, are "more precise and accurate."
Sequenom did not disclose financial terms of the licensing deal.