Presentations at the National Society of Genetic Counselors Conference Highlight Verinata Health's verifi® Prenatal Test

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verinata Health, Inc., a privately-held company dedicated to maternal and fetal health, today announced that its verifi® prenatal test will be featured in several oral and poster presentations at the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) 31^st Annual Education Conference. The conference is being held in Boston, Massachusetts from October 24 to 27, 2012.

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"Each of the NSGC presentations featuring the verifi® prenatal test demonstrates its expanding application in clinical practice," said Dr. Jeffrey Bird, Executive Chairman and CEO of Verinata Health. "As non-invasive prenatal testing is increasingly incorporated into prenatal care, we believe genetic counselors are playing an integral role in continuing to deliver the highest-quality healthcare to pregnant women and their families."

The following presentations highlight the verifi® prenatal test:

Beyond Trisomies: Enhanced Applications of Next-Generation Sequencing (Session 104)
(Embargoed for release on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. ET)
This oral presentation will detail the present use of non-invasive prenatal testing in combination with protein screens to determine chromosomal abnormalities in high-risk pregnancies. In addition, it will address the future possibilities of expanded testing as well as early potential interventional therapeutics and research. The presentation will be made by Diana Bianchi, M.D., of the Mother and Infant Research Institute and Tufts Medical Center on Wednesday, October 24, 2012.

Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing for Fetal Monosomy X: Clinical and Genetic Counseling Considerations (Session 214)
(Embargoed for release on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. ET)
This poster presentation demonstrates that, given the complex presentations of pregnancies affected by monosomy X and the influence these complexities introduce into non-invasive prenatal testing, appropriate genetic counseling both before and after administration of this testing is important for women and their families considering non-invasive prenatal testing for sex chromosome analysis. Dr. Tracy Prosen of the University of Minnesota will present poster #145 on Thursday, October 25, 2012.

Importance of Confirmation for Positive Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing
(Embargoed for release on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. ET)
This oral case study highlights the confirmatory value of invasive prenatal testing and, in particular, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify confined placental mosaicism when a positive non-invasive prenatal test indicates a trisomy. The case study will be presented by Vera Cherepakho, Genetic Counselor at San Francisco Perinatal Associates, Inc. on Saturday, October 27, 2012.

Value of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing in the Third Trimester
(Embargoed for release on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, at 2:15 p.m. ET)
This oral case study demonstrates the value of non-invasive prenatal testing later in the pregnancy to help in the management of delivery and care of newborns with chromosomal abnormalities. The case study will be presented by Wendy DiNonno, Genetic Counselor at Eastern Virginia Medical School on Saturday, October 27, 2012.

About the verifi® prenatal test
The verifi® prenatal test is a blood test that analyzes genetic material (or DNA) naturally found in a pregnant woman's blood to detect Down syndrome (trisomy 21 or T21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18 or T18), Patau syndrome (trisomy 13 or T13) and Turner syndrome (monosomy X) in the fetus. When directed by a physician, the verifi test can be offered to pregnant women of at least 10 weeks gestation at high risk of carrying a fetus with a genetic abnormality. A physician may classify a woman as "high-risk" if she is over 35 years of age, has a prior personal or family history of chromosome abnormalities, or has had a positive initial screening test indicating she is at increased risk for carrying a fetus with a genetic abnormality.

Verinata Health, Inc.
Verinata is driven by a sole, extraordinary purpose – maternal and fetal health. Our initial focus is to develop and offer non-invasive tests for early identification of fetal chromosomal abnormalities using our proprietary technologies. We aim to reduce the anxiety associated with today's multi-step process, the unacceptable false-positive rates, the non-specific and sometimes confusing results of current prenatal screening methods, as well as the risk of current invasive procedures. In support of national guidelines recommending first trimester aneuploidy risk assessment, we believe women who desire such an assessment should be offered a single blood draw test with a definitive result. The verifi® prenatal test is available throughout the United States, with the exception of New York, through a physician. For more information about Verinata, please go to www.verinata.com.

SOURCE Verinata Health, Inc.