A new safe DNA test named T21 will be available worldwide within 12 months. Picture: Stuart Milligan Source: Herald Sun

A SIMPLE jab to screen for Down syndrome in unborn babies could provide relief to scores of pregnant Australians who are fearful of invasive, risky tests.

The prenatal blood test has been unveiled in Sydney with scientists claiming a diagnosis rate of 99.1 per cent.

Women's DNA is analysed to detect chromosomal abnormalities including Down syndrome from 10 weeks.

The screening test has the potential to reduce the need for invasive diagnostic testing for 99 per cent of people who are having them, said one of the lead scientists, Prof Rossa Chiu, from the The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Pregnant women are often fearful of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, which carry up to a 1 per cent risk of miscarriage.

The safeT21 test, presented at the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia conference, will be available worldwide within 12 months.

The Australian introduction is dependent on government regulators but it is being used in high-risk cases in the US, Hong Kong and China alongside existing screening methods.

The test comes after scientists discovered babies released DNA into their mother's blood plasma during pregnancy.

Prof Chiu recommends women who test positive for chromosomal abnormalities still have the invasive tests due to the 0.1 per cent false positive rate.

See the original post:
DNA jab a safer test for babies