Prenatal paternity testing is a relatively new testing method with advances in technology. In particular, before the development of non-invasive prenatal DNA testing (NIPT: Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) technology, paternity testing was usually carried out after birth.

Historical background

Prenatal parentage techniques began to be based on invasive methods – amniocentesis andchorionic villus sampling.

1970s – Emergence of amniotic fluid testing and chorionic villus sampling

In the 1970s, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) emerged and these techniques were used for prenatal genetic testing.This made it possible to test for foetal chromosomal abnormalities and, at the same time, theoretically possible to use foetal DNA for paternity testing.
However, these methods were of limited use as paternity tests because of the risks to the mother and were mainly used to check the health of the foetus.

1990s – Advances in DNA analysis technology

The 1990s saw major advances in DNA technology, which increased the accuracy of parent-child identification: technologies such as STR (short chain repeat sequence) and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) were developed, allowing genotyping to more accurately determine parent-child relationships.

2000s – The Debut of Non-Invasive Pre-Birth DNA Identification

In the 2000s, fetal free DNA (cffDNA: cell-free fetal DNA) in maternal blood is discovered.This technology has led to non-invasive methods for analysing foetal DNA by simply drawing blood from the mother.
This was the beginning of non-invasive prenatal paternity testing.It became widely used in the late 2000s as it made it possible to carry out paternity tests while avoiding invasive risks.

Current technology.

Non-invasive methods are now commonly used to determine parent-child relationships by extracting foetal DNA from maternal blood after the ninth week of pregnancy and comparing the DNA with that of the potential father.This technique is highly accurate and poses almost no risk to the mother or foetus, and has therefore become the standard method in paternity testing.

Summary

The history of prenatal parentage testing began with amniotic fluid testing and chorionic villus sampling in the 1970s, but the development of non-invasive DNA testing techniques in the 2000s made safer and more accurate testing possible.

医師監修監修日：2024年9月11日

岡博史（おかひろし）

医師・医学博士／ヒロクリニック統括院長

YouTubeチャンネルなどを通じて、遺伝子やNIPT（新型出生前診断）についてわかりやすく発信しています。

略歴

1996年慶應義塾大学医学部卒業
2004年慶應義塾大学医学博士号取得
2005年慶應義塾大学皮膚科学教室助手
2008年ヒロ皮フ形成クリニック開業
2009年医療法人社団福美会理事長
2015年医療法人社団福美会理事

資格・所属

CAPラボディレクター
日本皮膚科学会皮膚科専門医
日本医師会産業医
東京衛生検査所指導監督医

発信・関連リンク

この記事は、ヒロクリニックNIPPTの編集・監修体制にもとづき、資格を持つ医師が内容を確認しています。

医師監修監修日：2024年9月11日

堤修一（つつみしゅういち）

医師・医学博士／ヒロクリニック博多駅前院院長

略歴

1993年東京大学医学部医学科卒業
2016〜2019年東京大学先端科学技術研究センター准教授

発信・関連リンク

プロフィール詳細

この記事は、ヒロクリニックNIPPTの編集・監修体制にもとづき、資格を持つ医師が内容を確認しています。

参考文献

Steele MW, Breg WR. Chromosome analysis of human amniotic-fluid cells. Lancet. 1966 Feb 19;1(7434):383-5.
Lo YM, Corbetta N, Chamberlain PF, Rai V, Sargent IL, Redman CW, Wainscoat JS. Presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum. Lancet. 1997 Aug 16;350(9076):485-7.
Ryan A, Banjevic M, Demko Z, Hill M, Zarandona I, Ruiz A, Shreim S, Saucier J, Carter A, Al-Ardah N, Bashsarah S, Chmura M, El-Sabban A, Hall AL, Jafari F, O'Connor EE, Solares V, Thompson AK, Wayham N, Zimmermann B, Rabinowitz M, Scott SA. Non-invasive prenatal paternity testing using a highly multiplexed SNP assay. Genet Med. 2013 Apr;15(4):300-6.