BillionToOne's UNITY Fetal Antigen NIPT transforms care in maternity health deserts

Dais World | 20/12/2024 08:26 PM

The UNITY Prenatal Test expands access to maternal care in remote communities, reducing travel burdens for high-risk pregnancies

Precision diagnostics company BillionToOne is addressing the longstanding challenges pregnant women face in remote areas. The company's UNITY Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) for fetal antigens was recently adopted by Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctors in states with maternity health deserts, dramatically improving care for expectant mothers where care is less easily accessible.

UNITY Fetal Antigen NIPT is available for patients who are alloimmunised to certain antigens. If the genetic variation associated with the presence of the antigen is detected, the patient will have an increased risk for hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). HDFN is a blood disorder in which a baby's red blood cells break down rapidly and can be very severe. This screening method has significantly reduced the need for patients to make frequent, lengthy journeys for follow-up care, effectively bringing high-quality maternal healthcare closer to home.

"This advanced screening technology is revolutionising how we care for expectant mothers in our rural communities," said Dr. Peter Van Eerden, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist at Sanford Clinic in North Dakota. "With UNITY, we're able to provide vital care to patients who previously had to travel hundreds of miles for weekly check-ups, improving access to timely interventions if needed."

The impact of the UNITY test is particularly significant in regions where MFM providers are scarce, including North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Previously, patients in maternity health deserts requiring MFM care often had to travel between 3 to 5 hours one way to reach clinics in cities like Bismarck, Fargo, or Bemidji. For many, this meant regular travel to visit doctors, or waiting for monthly satellite clinic visits, options that are not ideal for high-risk pregnancies that require frequent monitoring.

Many clinics in rural areas also lack the specialised equipment and trained personnel needed for weekly Doppler ultrasounds, which were the standard of care before the UNITY Fetal Antigen NIPT became available. UNITY has effectively bridged this gap, allowing for more comprehensive care without the need for specialised on-site equipment.

"One of our main goals for the UNITY Fetal Antigen NIPT is to democratise access to high-quality maternal care," said Jennifer Hoskovec, MS, Certified Genetic Counselor and VP of Medical Affairs at BillionToOne. "Seeing how our technology is making such a profound difference in rural communities is incredibly rewarding, and it truly reflects the broader impact we aim to achieve at BillionToOne of improving maternal health outcomes, regardless of geography."

According to a recent report from March of Dimes, over 35% of U.S. counties are classified as maternity care deserts, lacking any birthing facilities or obstetric providers. This crisis affects over 2.3 million women of reproductive age and impacts approximately 150,000 births annually. Women in these areas often experience poorer pre-pregnancy health, receive less prenatal care, and face higher rates of preterm birth – between 2020 and 2022, there were over 10,000 excess preterm births in maternity care deserts and limited access counties.

BillionToOne's prenatal screening technology represents a significant step towards addressing these alarming disparities – the company has provided tests to over 500K patients to date. By increasing access to high-quality prenatal care, BillionToOne is improving outcomes for patients who have long faced substantial barriers to receiving essential medical care.

About BillionToOne

Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company on a mission to make molecular diagnostics more accurate, efficient, and accessible for all. The company's patented Quantitative Counting Templates™ (QCT™) molecular counting platform is the only multiplex technology that can accurately count DNA molecules at the single-molecule level.

Press release by PR Newswire

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