MLPA as a genetic assay for the prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidy: the first Egyptian experience

Abstract

BackgroundThe prenatal diagnosis of syndromes caused by chromosomal abnormality is a long-established part of obstetric care. Several DNA-based molecular approaches have provided rapid prenatal diagnosis of of cytogenomic abnormalities. MLPA has become available for rapid aneuploidy detection of the most common chromosome abnormalities. ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to introduce the MLPA technique as a method for the prenatal detection of aneuploidy in Egypt by its validation compared to the FISH technique. MethodsFifty AF samples were collected for this study and were subjected to MLPA and FISH assays to detect the most common prenatal chromosomal abnormality. Results and conclusionsOur study confirmed previous reports that MLPA is analogous to FISH for detecting common aneuploidies and could be a quick and dependable tool for prenatal diagnosis. Therefore, initial prompt testing of AF samples for the copy number of the most common occurring aneuploidies is recommended.