The Application of Magnetic Cell Sorter (MACS) to Detect Fetal Cells in Maternal Peripheral Blood

• Published in: The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 155 - 162
• Main Authors: Fukushima, Akimune, Utsugisawa, Yukari, Wada, Yuko, Mizusawa, Noriko, Horiuchi, Saburo, Kagabu, Teruo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-06-2001
• Subjects: Cell Separation - methods; Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; Electrophoresis; Erythroblasts - cytology; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Fetal Blood - cytology; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant, Newborn; magnetic cell sorter (MACS); Magnetics; Male; nested-PCR; nucleated red blood cells; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Sex Determination Analysis; Y Chromosome
• ISSN: 1341-8076; 1447-0756
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2001.tb01240.x

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of sorting fetal nucleated red blood cells (FNRBC) from maternal peripheral blood, particularly during early gestation periods, by a combination of specific gravity centrifugation and magnetic cell sorter (MACS).
Methods: Without prior knowledge of the gender of the fetus, we determined gender by analyzing a Y‐chromosome specific sequence by nested‐PCR, using 10 ml of the peripheral blood of healthy primigravida women at different stages of gestation (first trimester: n = 17, second trimester: n = 13, and third trimester: n = 19). The results of this prenatal sex determination were compared to the sex of newborns.
Results: The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the present method during the first trimester were 100, 81.8, 100, and 75%, respectively; during the second trimester, 80, 50, 80, and 50%, respectively; and during the third trimester, 25, 63.6, 53.8, and 33.3%, respectively.
Conclusion: The results show that this prenatal sex determination method has a highly accurate diagnostic rate during the first trimester, suggesting that it could be developed as a practical, non‐invasive prenatal diagnostic technique for use during early gestation periods.