A MAJOR scientific breakthrough has enabled the mapping of an unborn baby's entire genetic code using DNA taken from its parents.

Scientists at Seattle's University of Washington said their new technique could make it possible to scan for 3500 genetic disorders before birth, ABC News reported today.

The amniocentesis procedure currently used to diagnose disorders in babies - including Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy - is invasive for the mother and can cause a miscarriage.

In the groundbreaking new research, scientists harnessed tiny traces of a baby's free-floating DNA, found in the 18-week pregnant mother's blood. They then tested DNA from her blood sample and DNA from the father's saliva.

By using these pieces of the genetic jigsaw puzzle, researchers were able to reconstruct the entire genetic code of the unborn baby boy. They were then able to see what spontaneous genetic mutations had arisen.

Scientists conceded that the breakthrough raised "many ethical questions" because early detection of disorders in babies could be used as a basis for abortion, an issue that was immediately raised by pro-life campaigners, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported.

"This is an incredible breakthrough with huge ethical implications," Art Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, told ABC News.

Published in the Science Translational Medicine journal, the study was able to identify 39 of 44 "de novo", or new, genetic mutations before the baby was born. De novo mutations are not inherited from the parents and are responsible for a large percentage of genetic disorders. They are also thought to play a role in conditions like autism and schizophrenia.

Read more here:
Baby in womb's entire gene code mapped