OP049: Automated Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Single Circulating Fetal Trophoblasts in Pregnant Women

In the past decades, the existence of fetal cells circulating in the maternal blood during the first trimester of pregnancy has been extensively proved. The isolation as single intact cells and the subsequent genetic characterization of these fetal extravillous trophoblasts (fEVTs) could represent a valuable resource for prenatal diagnosis. Given the rarity of fetal cells in the maternal circulation and technical challenges related to their enrichment, a non-invasive isolation from maternal blood using an automated approach is still an unmet clinical need.