Sequenom Starts 10,000-Patient Study To Diagnose Down Syndrome

Sequenom, the San Diego-based developer of a prenatal genetic test for Down Syndrome, said today it has started a clinical trial of 10,000 pregnant women to compare its DNA blood test to the standard, more invasive tests of amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, in which doctors extract cells from the placenta. Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) stock surged in September when it presented data showing its test was 100 percent accurate in a study of 400 women, although the stock has declined since on fears of competition from researchers at Stanford University. Investors expect results from about 1,000 patients by the end of the year, said Elemer Piros, an analyst with Rodman & Renshaw, in a note to clients today.

Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.