PerkinElmer said today it has acquired Vanadis Diagnostics, the developer of a non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) solution in development that is based on digital analysis of cell-free DNA. The price was not disclosed.

Vanadis’ offering, Smart NIPT, is designed to provide automated testing for routine use by high-throughput biochemistry labs as well as genetic labs.

According to Vanadis’ website, Smart NIPT works by extracting cell-free DNA from maternal plasma, converting targeted chromosome regions to fluorescent DNA objects that are individually counted using a microtiter plate scanner.

Smart NIPT will be the first NIPT platform designed to simplify screening for trisomies 21, 18, and 13 by eliminating the need for amplification and analysis through a complex DNA sequencing or microarray process. The result, according to the company, will be a complete NIPT platform designed so that any diagnostic lab can install, operate, and connect it with their existing laboratory information management system.

PerkinElmer said the Vanadis platform will enable it to offer a simplified, cost-effective, high-throughput approach to NIPT to help facilitate wider access for pregnant women.

“While NIPT is becoming increasingly recognized as valuable to many high-risk expectant parents during the first trimester, test complexity and pricing issues have limited the ability of many biochemistry labs to effectively offer this type of prenatal screening,” Prahlad Singh, Ph.D., PerkinElmer’s president of diagnostics, said in a statement. “Vanadis’ simplified NIPT platform, once available, should help overcome these obstacles, giving labs a wider range of prenatal testing capabilities and providing important information to physicians and patients.”

PerkinElmer said the acquisition is designed to expand upon its existing maternal fetal health offerings, which include instruments, reagents and assay platforms, and software designed to facilitate prenatal, neonatal, and infectious disease screening, along with molecular diagnostics solutions.

The company also provides private cord blood and cord tissue preservation to families through ViaCord.

“We are confident that with its leading position in prenatal screening, PerkinElmer is best situated to bring this system to market and address the under-served segment of average-risk pregnancies,” added Vanadis CEO Olle Ericsson.

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