Prenatal Testing

IONA Test for Pregnant Women

What is the IONA® test?

The IONA test is a prenatal test done for pregnant women which are for estimating the risk of the fetus having serious genetic diseases. It is an advanced test where screening is carried out on a small maternal blood sample. The patients can expect the results within 3 – 5 days approximately.

What does the IONA® screen for?

The IONA® test estimates the risk of a fetus having Down’s syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edwards’ syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13). Trisomy occur when three copies of a chromosome are present instead of two. Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes are very rare but Down’s very serious and many affected babies haven’t survived.

What are the advantages of the IONA® test?

• • Safe:IONA test is non-invasive with no risk of miscarriage.
• • Fast:IONA® test is the fastest test available with results provided within 3-5 working days, from sample receipt.
• • Accurate:For About 99% for the detection of trisomy conditions, Fetal sex determination is greater than 97% accurate.
• • Simple:This test uses a simple maternal blood sample.
• • Local:Unlike other Non-Invasive Prenatal Tests (NIPT), the IONA® test is performed in a laboratory local to you.
• • Quality:The IONA® test is a regulated diagnostic, which is CE marked.

How does it work?

During the pregnancy, the leakage of cell-free by the placenta circulates in the maternal bloodstream. As a result, a maternal blood sample contains a mixture of fetal and maternal circulating DNA. This IONA test directly measures this DNA quantity and also detect the DNA ratio when a fetal trisomy 21, 18 or 13 is present

Why is IONA® better than the combined test?

During the pregnancy, the traditional screening is offered which is called a combined test. It is an ultrasound scan which measures the nuchal translucency and a blood test. But it is not as accurate as NIPT where it detects around 85% of babies with Down’s Syndrome. IONA test has a higher detection rate than the combined test.

Who can have the IONA® test?

• • Suitable for women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant.
• • Suitable for all singleton and twin pregnancies.
• • Suitable for IVF or surrogate pregnancies.
• • This test is not suitable for women with cancer or who have undergone blood transfusion within the last 12 months or with a trisomy.

How are the IONA® results reported?

• • Low Risk:It is very unlikely to have the risk of pregnancy affected by trisomy 21, 18 or 13.
• • High Risk:It means pregnancy is at increased risk for trisomy 21, 18 or 13 and the result should be confirmed by follow up invasive procedures.
• • No Result:In very rare cases there is insufficient fetal DNA in the sample to obtain a result. An additional blood sample is taken.

About Prasad Hospitals

The IONA® test is developed and manufactured by Prasad Hospital, a UK molecular diagnostics company based in Manchester. Our mission is to develop molecular diagnostic products that will have a positive impact on human health.