Methods for non-invasive prenatal ploidy calling

US8825412B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Natera, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Matthew Rabinowitz · San Francisco, US
• George Gemelos · Walnut, US
• Milena Banjevic · Los Altos Hills, US
• Allison Ryan · Redwood City, US
• Zachary Demko · San Francisco, US
• Matthew Hill · Belmont, US
• Bernhard Zimmermann · Manteca, US
• Johan Baner · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 18, 2011
• Grant date: Sep 2, 2014
• Expiry date: Sep 4, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12Q2600/172
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Methods for non-invasive prenatal ploidy calling are disclosed herein. Methods for determining the ploidy status of a chromosome in a gestating fetus from genotypic data measured from a sample of DNA from the mother of the fetus and from the fetus, and from genotypic data from the mother and optionally also from the father are disclosed herein. The ploidy state is determined by using a joint distribution model to create a set of expected allele distributions for different possible fetal ploidy states given the parental genotypic data, and comparing the expected allelic distributions to the pattern of measured allelic distributions measured in the mixed sample, and choosing the ploidy state whose expected allelic distribution pattern most closely matches the observed allelic distribution pattern. In an embodiment, the mixed sample of DNA may be preferentially enriched at a plurality of polymorphic loci in a way that minimizes the allelic bias.