Sequenom Prenatal Test Approved in NY

The Associated Press reports:

Shares of Sequenom Inc., which makes genetic analysis products, soared Thursday on word New York state approved a noninvasive prenatal test for a fetal disorder called Rh disease.

The test uses Sequenom's SEQureDx technology to extract fetal nucleic acid material from a blood sample of the mother. This compares with current standards of harvesting placental tissue cells or entering the uterus to sample amniotic fluid surrounding the baby to test for Rh disease, or Rhesus D incompatibility. The ailment can cause anemia, jaundice, hearing loss and mental retardation; in severe cases, it can be fatal.