Fetal/maternal cell transfer, non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and naturally occurring micro-chimerism.

The discovery of cell free fetal DNA (ffDNA) that is recoverable from maternal blood during pregnancy is currently the basis for a variety of non-invasive prenatal tests for limited conditions. This project will trace the techno-scientific development and ‘production’ of fetal and maternal cells and genetic material, and the ongoing construction of theory/method packages through which prenatal diagnostic goals are intertwined with biomedical platforms and initiated into clinical practice. I will also be examining assumptions about what prenatal diagnostic technologies mean to potential parents, in various contexts, and about how ‘risk’ may operate in those meanings.

By E Genis, UK.

Health Policy Resource.