Natera and Echevarne Collaborate to Launch New Non-Invasive Prenatal Test Panorama™ in Spain, Iberia
Natera, a leading innovator in prenatal genetic testing, and Echevarne, a leading clinical analysis laboratory in Spain, today announced the signing of a distribution agreement for Echevarne to offer Natera’s non-invasive prenatal screening test (NIPT), Panorama™, through its facilities in Spain. Panorama was launched in March 2013 for the detection of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) and select sex chromosome abnormalities, such as monosomy X (Turner’s syndrome).
“We have seen great demand for non-invasive prenatal testing and are confident in offering Panorama to our customers,” said Alfonso Echevarne, CEO of Echevarne Laboratory. “This test is the next-generation option for parents and their doctors who want highly accurate information with no risk for the fetus, and we look forward to a strong partnership with Natera.”
Echevarne, one of the leading and most advanced laboratories in Europe, offers clinical analysis services ranging from routine analyses to state-of-the-art molecular genetics tests. Its network includes laboratory facilities and hospital laboratories across Spain and Portugal.
“We have invested considerable time and resources to ensure that Panorama offers physicians and expectant mothers highly accurate and reliable data,” said Matthew Rabinowitz, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Natera. “This partnership with Echevarne will allow Natera to distribute the test to a wide network across Spain as we continue our global roll-out.”
Panorama uses a simple blood draw from the mother, examines cell-free DNA found in maternal blood originating from both mother and fetus, and can be performed within the first trimester of pregnancy, as early as nine weeks, without any risk to the fetus. Panorama’s technology analyzes, in a single reaction, 19,500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are the most informative portions of an individual’s DNA.
It utilizes the Next-generation Aneuploidy Testing Using SNPs algorithm, an advanced version of Natera’s proprietary informatics.
Across multiple clinical trials, Panorama has been validated globally for trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 13 and monosomy X with a sensitivity of greater than 99% for trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13, 92% for monosomy X, and no false positives for all syndromes tested. Panorama’s clinical validation data was presented at the annual Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Meeting on Feb. 15, 2013. The most recent independently-led blinded study was published in May 2013 in Prenatal Diagnosis from author K.H. Nicolaides and The Fetal Medicine Foundation. Panorama is currently being evaluated in several other clinical trials for the detection of other genetic disorders, including XXY, XYY, XXX and triploidy.
About Echevarne
Founded in 1958, Echevarne is one of the leading and most advanced laboratories in Europe, with more than 55 years of experience, well known for technical improvements and customer adaptability. This family owned company currently employs 750 professionals in 46 laboratory centers, offering total national coverage in Spain.
The Complete Test Catalog of Echevarne includes 2000 kind of tests in Clinical Area, 1600 in Industrial Area and 300 in Veterinary. The Laboratory also offers Pathology service, globally performing more than 25.000.000 tests per year.
Echevarne Laboratory is a pioneer in online service, with 3.000 professional users and 280.000 private users registered at www.echevarne.com. The site gets 2.700 requests daily to access and download results.
More information: www.echevarne.com
About Natera
Natera is a leading genetic testing company that has developed a proprietary bioinformatics-based technology to deliver accurate and comprehensive high-throughput testing for reproductive indications from tiny quantities of DNA. Natera operates a CLIA-certified laboratory in San Carlos, Calif., providing a host of preconception and prenatal genetic testing services. Test offerings include pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to identify chromosomal anomalies or inherited genetic conditions in embryos generated during an IVF cycle; products-of-conception testing following miscarriage to rapidly and extensively analyze fetal chromosomes in order to understand the cause of the pregnancy loss; non-invasive prenatal testing to determine paternity; carrier screening tests to detect whether parents carry genetic variations that may result in disease in the child; and Panorama, a safe, simple test for pregnant women that identifies the most common chromosomal anomalies in a fetus as early as nine weeks. Natera's clinical trial for non-invasive screening of fetal chromosomal anomalies is funded by the NIH and is being conducted by the leaders in maternal-fetal medicine in the United States. For more information, visit www.natera.com.
Contacts
Russo Partners
Ian Stone, 619-308-6541
ian.stone@russopartnersllc.com
Natera, Inc.
Gautam Kollu, 650-249-9090
gkollu@natera.com
