Artemis licenses cell-free fetal DNA technology from Stanford University

The license expands Artemis’s clinical and research program and will allow the company to develop a non-invasive prenatal blood test that accurately predicts chromosomal and genetic disorders.

This license broadens the R&D programs at Artemis, which have been based primarily on the pioneering work of Diana Bianchi for the isolation of intact fetal cells from maternal blood for advanced genetic analysis. Under the terms of the agreement, Artemis received a co-exclusive worldwide license to a suite of intellectual property based on Dr Quake’s cell-free fetal DNA analysis research in the field of prenatal diagnostics.

The intellectual property license includes the use of digital polymerase chain reaction technology and shotgun sequencing to analyze cell-free fetal DNA from maternal blood, particularly for the diagnosis of fetal genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome, Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13). In parallel with this agreement, Artemis has extended its existing exclusive consulting relationship with Dr Quake.

Lissa Goldenstein, president and CEO of Artemis Health, said: We are thrilled to expand our proprietary prenatal diagnostic platform focused on intact fetal cells to include Dr Quake’s pioneering cell-free fetal DNA analysis. We now have two complementary approaches that provide access to vital information found only in fetal DNA, which circulates in the maternal bloodstream.

We believe that working in parallel, we will be able to develop non-invasive, safe and effective prenatal blood tests that accurately diagnose genetic disorders without the need for invasive tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.