00:00Almost half of high-risk prenatal blood tests turn out to be false alarms,
00:04causing unnecessary stress and invasive follow-up procedures.
00:08This startling figure comes as scientists reveal new insights into how fetal DNA travels in a
00:14pregnant woman's bloodstream. Researchers led by Adelaide University have challenged old
00:19assumptions about fetal DNA's origin and packaging, which could improve the accuracy
00:24of non-invasive prenatal testing, or NIPT. Since 2011, millions have used NIPT to screen
00:33for genetic conditions safely, but lead author Kieran Sparks says better understanding could
00:38reduce false results and expand testing. The team found key questions remain about how fetal DNA is
00:45released and whether it travels attached to biological particles. Solving these could increase the fetal
00:50fraction, the amount of fetal DNA available for testing, which is a major challenge now.
00:56Experts believe these advances might also detect more genetic disorders and even identify pregnancy
01:02complications earlier. Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created,
01:06or enhanced, using AI-assisted tools.
01:08Founders
01:09Jay
01:09the
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