I'm traveling today. Fortunately, Amy Julia Becker has graciously featured a revised post of mine at her site today. Becker is a fellow parent whose helpful book on prenatal testing I reviewed at this post. My piece today is part of a series Becker is featuring on the possible treatments for Down syndrome. Please comment on my post there (getting 13 comments would make it the most commented post in this series so far) and continue to check Becker's site regularly. Continue Reading
September 27, 2013
A Down Syndrome Mid-Life Crisis
I turn 40 this weekend. As I look back and look forward, I see a mid-life crisis for Down syndrome. Continue Reading
September 24, 2013
A confluence of conflicts of interests in Down syndrome prenatal testing
Yesterday, I shared Andrew Pollack's excellent column headlined "Conflict Potential Seen in Genetic Counselors." The report shared a confluence of conflicts of interests due to another recent development. Continue Reading
September 23, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: You May Be Influenced by Who Pays You
In a previous post, I mentioned that one factor often left out in the discussion of prenatal genetic testing is the cost of the testing itself and how that may influence decisions. Turns out that the advice a patient receives about prenatal testing may be influenced by the cost of giving that advice ... and who is paying for it. Continue Reading
September 17, 2013
Why is “being ahead of the curve” a selling point for Verinata’s verifi?
Thursday, Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) laboratory Verinata is hosting a webinar open to the public about its brand of testing, verifi. Verinata's choice in marketing taglines raises serious ethical concerns. Continue Reading
September 6, 2013
Reversing Down syndrome & the Golden Rule
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have reversed the effects on the brain in mice engineered with half the genes found in Down syndrome by injecting a compound into the brains of newborn mice. So, in the span of a few months, researchers have "turned off" Down syndrome, and now its effects have been reversed. Continue Reading
August 29, 2013
What’s your view on prenatal testing for Down syndrome?
Researchers at Standford want to know what you think about prenatal testing for Down syndrome and other genetic conditions. Continue Reading
August 28, 2013
The Best Ethical Practices for Down Syndrome Prenatal Testing
The medical journal, Prenatal Diagnosis, published this year an article titled, "The Best Ethical Practices for Clinicians and Laboratories in the Provision of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing." Here are the highlights. Continue Reading
August 23, 2013
“Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you” about Down syndrome prenatal testing
As a companion piece to the HuffPostLive segment on Down syndrome prenatal testing (which I blogged about here), the Huffington Posts' Katherine Bindley reported on the concerns about adequate counseling. Let's look at some key quotes from that piece. Continue Reading
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