Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market

The presence of a seamless industry for prenatal care has given a thrust to the growth of the global prenatal and new-born genetic testing market. The rising incidence of prenatal complications has compelled medical practitioners to resort to prenatal testing procedures. Furthermore, advancements in sonography and other related technologies has also helped in creating a seamless fabric for medical testing across the globe. In this scenario, it is safe to expect that the global prenatal and new-born genetic testing market would grow at a boisterous pace in the times to follow. State approval of prenatal testing across several regional territories has created new opportunities for market growth.

• Genetic testing has emerged as an important means to educate and inform expecting mothers about the possibility of genetic disorders in the baby. Furthermore, genetic testing is also useful for parents who exhibit a history of genetic disorders in their families.
• The medical fraternity has become more liberal in its approach toward diagnosis and treatment. Prenatal testing is a part of the radical changes that have ensued across the medical industry. The total volume of revenues within the global prenatal and new-born genetic testing market is set to rise in the years to follow.
• Use of new-born genetic testing for diagnosing the presence of down syndrome in infants is an important function in the medical industry. Medical experts are focusing on developing comprehensive training and education programs for parents of kids with genetic disorders. This move by the medical industry has led to increased use of prenatal and new-born genetic testing.
• The rising incidence of dyslexia and down syndrome has given a thrust to market growth. The medical industry in Europe has acquired a remarkable level of maturity, and this factor shall play a crucial role in driving sales across the global prenatal and new-born genetic testing market.

Global Prenatal and New-born Genetic Testing Market: Snapshot

Prenatal and new-born genetic tests refer to the systematic diagnostic tests and screenings undertaken to determine the risk of certain genetic disorders in newborn children and fetuses in stages as early as eight to ten weeks of gestation. The use of a variety of screening and diagnostic tools for detecting chromosomal abnormalities and the risk of diseases such as Patau syndrome, Down syndrome, and Edward syndrome is increasing at a significant pace across the world.

The vast rise in prevalence of genetic abnormalities and late pregnancies are some of the key factors to have led to an increased demand for prenatal and new-born genetic tests across the globe. The vast advancements observed in diagnostic and screening technologies and the rise in awareness about genetic diseases are also considered crucial to the rising demand for genetic tests in children, both before and after birth. Transparency Market Research states that the market will exhibit a remarkable 26.9% CAGR over the report’s forecast period.

Diagnostic Techniques to Continue to Remain Preferred Option for Detecting Chromosomal Abnormalities

The prenatal and newborn genetic testing market can be broadly segmented into screening techniques and diagnostics techniques. Of these, the segment of diagnostic techniques, covering popular genetic testing methods such as fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), accounts for a massive share of the market.

Diagnostic techniques are expected to retain their position as the leading contributor of revenue to the global prenatal and newborn genetic testing market over the forecast period, owing to their more effective and accurate results as compared to screening techniques. Of the key genetic diagnostic techniques available in the market, PCR techniques are expected to be the most preferred owing to their high efficiency and varied applications.

Of the key prenatal and newborn genetic screening techniques commonly used across the globe, including maternal serum screening (MSS) and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), the segment of non-invasive prenatal testing is expected to lead the market for prenatal and newborn genetic screening techniques. This is owing to the fact that non-invasive screening techniques completely eliminate the risk of miscarriage associated with invasive tests such as Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis.

Emerging Markets to Present Most Lucrative Growth Opportunities

Presently, North America is the dominant market for the global prenatal and newborn genetic testing market, accounting for a massive chunk of the overall market. Apart from a large pool of highly-aware parents and a rising prevalence of genetic disorders in the region, the large number of companies operating in the diagnostics as well as screening sectors have also helped the prenatal and newborn genetic testing market strengthen its foothold in the region. Another developed region, Europe, is also a mature market for prenatal and newborn genetic testing.

However, in the next few years, the prenatal and newborn genetic testing market will witness the most traction across emerging regional markets such as Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The vast untapped opportunities in these regions and an encouraging rise in awareness about genetic testing, rising affordability, and increasing prevalence of genetic diseases will together contribute towards the healthy growth of the prenatal and newborn genetic testing market in these regions in the near future.

Some of the key vendors operating in the diagnostics field of prenatal and newborn genetic testing are Ariosa Diagnostics, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Perkin Elmer, and Agilent Technologies. Key vendors operating in the screening segment of prenatal and newborn genetic testing are Verinata Health and Sequenom, Inc.