International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Scientists from the Netherlands are developing a quick blood test which could detect whether an unborn child has Down's syndrome.

The pioneering, inexpensive test could save the lives of hundreds of unborn babies each year, as it would remove the risk of miscarriage that is currently associated with the testing procedure.

It could pick up on the condition with just a few drops of a mother's blood.

"We will be able to offer a safe, cheap, fast, reliable and accurate non-invasive test, which will be of immediate benefit to pregnant women, young and old, all over the world," said Dr Suzanna Frints, a clinical geneticist at Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.

Currently, women at high risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome are given a choice of two tests - amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling - both of which lead to an increased chance of the mother-to-be miscarrying.

In every 1,000 babies born, one will have Down's syndrome. Around 750 newborns with the condition are born each year in the UK, according to the Down's Syndrome Association.

Posted by Alexandra George