PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
9
Almost 400,000 babies are born in Canada
every year, and while most arrive healthy,
it doesn’t stop moms-to-be from worrying
about almost everything when it comes to
their baby. According to the World Health
Organization, 1 in 100 children are born
with a genetic condition, often much to the
surprise of prospective parents who had no
prior medical or family history of concern.
LifeLabs can help inform expectant
mothers about risks to their baby’s health,
from planning a pregnancy to testing the
development of the fetus. We do this by
offering two life-changing tests: Counsyl
Family Prep Screen and Panorama Prenatal
Screen
®
.
Advanced genetic testing supports family
planning, especially for those who have a
family history of genetic disorders. Using
the Counsyl Family Prep Screen, we can
detect if a prospective parent carries a
mutation for a recessive disease. If both
parents are carriers, the couple has a 25%
chance with each pregnancy of having a
child affected with that condition. Working
with our LifeLabs Genetic Counselors,
Clinical Geneticists and their healthcare
providers, parents-to-be can have informed
discussions to ensure the foundations are
in place for a healthy pregnancy and a
successful birth.
Through our partnership with Natera
Inc., we are the first laboratory to provide
Canadian families with access to the most
advanced non-invasive prenatal testing
(NIPT) technology, Panorama Prenatal
Screen
®
. As early as nine weeks into the
pregnancy, women can screen for the most
common genetic conditions without having
to undergo invasive testing that increases
the risk of miscarriage. With a simple blood
test completed at any one of our 355
Patient Service Centres, Panorama® can
accurately and effectively screen for Down
Syndrome and other genetic abnormalities
caused by extra or missing chromosomes.
Since 2015, we have been delivering the
Panorama test to women across Canada
through our Ontario Genetics Lab. Our
team of Genetic Counselors and Clinical
Geneticists support patients and healthcare
providers to make choices about genetic
tests and our team interprets the results to
support informed treatment decisions.
LifeLabs’ partnerships with leading
innovators such as Natera and Counsyl,
and our in-house team of genetics experts
provide meaningful information to parents
and parents-to-be.
Planning for Healthy Futures
