Kevin McKernan

So if you want to look for chromosomal abnormalities in a child, amniocentesis, they probably don't even do it anymore. I mean amniocentesis, they used to literally have to put a needle into the mother's womb to look and get cells and look for chromosomes and see if there's any trisomies, right? Like trisomy 21 is predictive of – Down syndrome.

So if you want to look for chromosomal abnormalities in a child, amniocentesis, they probably don't even do it anymore. I mean amniocentesis, they used to literally have to put a needle into the mother's womb to look and get cells and look for chromosomes and see if there's any trisomies, right? Like trisomy 21 is predictive of – Down syndrome.

So if you want to look for chromosomal abnormalities in a child, amniocentesis, they probably don't even do it anymore. I mean amniocentesis, they used to literally have to put a needle into the mother's womb to look and get cells and look for chromosomes and see if there's any trisomies, right? Like trisomy 21 is predictive of – Down syndrome.

Well, mothers who are over 40, they often ask for an amnio because there's a higher risk of this. Way higher risk, right? And some people have it perhaps a little bit more in their family and they want to do amnios. One in 400 is crazy, but it's all we had back then.

Well, mothers who are over 40, they often ask for an amnio because there's a higher risk of this. Way higher risk, right? And some people have it perhaps a little bit more in their family and they want to do amnios. One in 400 is crazy, but it's all we had back then.

Well, mothers who are over 40, they often ask for an amnio because there's a higher risk of this. Way higher risk, right? And some people have it perhaps a little bit more in their family and they want to do amnios. One in 400 is crazy, but it's all we had back then.

But since then, they've been able to leverage this fact that the sequencers are so cheap that you can sequence the entire mother's genome right out of her bloodstream and 3% of that DNA is going to be the child's. And you can figure out whether this trisomy 21 or any other chromosomal abnormalities just from doing what's called non-invasive prenatal testing, NIPT.

But since then, they've been able to leverage this fact that the sequencers are so cheap that you can sequence the entire mother's genome right out of her bloodstream and 3% of that DNA is going to be the child's. And you can figure out whether this trisomy 21 or any other chromosomal abnormalities just from doing what's called non-invasive prenatal testing, NIPT.

But since then, they've been able to leverage this fact that the sequencers are so cheap that you can sequence the entire mother's genome right out of her bloodstream and 3% of that DNA is going to be the child's. And you can figure out whether this trisomy 21 or any other chromosomal abnormalities just from doing what's called non-invasive prenatal testing, NIPT.

A bunch of companies sprouted out and are very successful doing that now. And it's all based on being able to sequence these fragments of DNA that are circulating.

A bunch of companies sprouted out and are very successful doing that now. And it's all based on being able to sequence these fragments of DNA that are circulating.

A bunch of companies sprouted out and are very successful doing that now. And it's all based on being able to sequence these fragments of DNA that are circulating.

Oh, yeah. You can easily – I mean there's probably – I'm sure you can probably do that with ultrasound as well at a certain stage. But if you had to get in there before ultrasound could see it, you would see it in the DNA.

Oh, yeah. You can easily – I mean there's probably – I'm sure you can probably do that with ultrasound as well at a certain stage. But if you had to get in there before ultrasound could see it, you would see it in the DNA.

Oh, yeah. You can easily – I mean there's probably – I'm sure you can probably do that with ultrasound as well at a certain stage. But if you had to get in there before ultrasound could see it, you would see it in the DNA.

And I mean the fascinating thing about that whole field is that not only does DNA circulate from the child but so do erythrocytes and other particular cells that stay in the mother. Like mothers have some number of cells in their brain from the child's that they've born before that stick around that you can detect decades later.

And I mean the fascinating thing about that whole field is that not only does DNA circulate from the child but so do erythrocytes and other particular cells that stay in the mother. Like mothers have some number of cells in their brain from the child's that they've born before that stick around that you can detect decades later.

And I mean the fascinating thing about that whole field is that not only does DNA circulate from the child but so do erythrocytes and other particular cells that stay in the mother. Like mothers have some number of cells in their brain from the child's that they've born before that stick around that you can detect decades later.

So it's a, yeah, it's a fascinating field of like, you know, what does that mean? And what does that, what does that bring to the mother? And you know, the, the, the bonding that could be going on there and what's what's the communication and meaning or what's the purpose of that, I suppose, biologically. Yeah.

So it's a, yeah, it's a fascinating field of like, you know, what does that mean? And what does that, what does that bring to the mother? And you know, the, the, the bonding that could be going on there and what's what's the communication and meaning or what's the purpose of that, I suppose, biologically. Yeah.