近日，来自英国的伯明翰女子国民健康保险信托基金会的研究者表示，本周他们将联合Illumina公司共同开发非侵入性的产前诊断；作为服务的合作伙伴，Illumina将会同经营伯明翰妇科医院的基金会的研究者共享有效的技术来继续进行无创产前诊断，在夏天剩余的一段时间里对三个染色体21、18及13进行筛产，或许在9月份为患者提供研究数据。
  基金会研究者表示，当这种检测服务没有被国家的公共健康保险制度所覆盖时，我们就真的需要在医院的服务环境中提供这样的服务，同时也为这种检测服务在未来应用于所有国民健康保险制度的病人铺平道路。
  当前Illumina公司通过Verinata部门提供Verifi NIPT的服务，至于伯明翰妇科医院开发的这种检测技术是否基于Illumina的技术并不清楚，对此该公司并没有做出回应。在上周举办的Illumina公司第二季度财报会议上，CEOJay Flatley就提出要加大努力在美国以外的地区扩大无创产前诊断（NIPT）的检测业务，这就包括在新一代的测序平台上发起具有CE-IVD标志的无创产前技术，同时计划以VeriSeq NIPT产品作为体外诊断解决方案并为其获取CE标志。
  Flatley在第二季度财报会议上说道，目前Illumina在美国以外的地区已经拥有了5家新型的合作伙伴来开发并且运行VeriSeq NIPT的方案，同时也通过在合作者的实验室进行检测来完成19项交易。而对此伯明翰女子国民健康保险信托基金会并没有作出回应。（转化医学网360zhyx.com）
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Illumina, UK Organization Partner on NIPT

Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust in the UK said this week it is partnering with Illumina to develop a non-invasive prenatal test. 

As part of the service partnership, Illumina will "be sharing [its] well-validated technology" with the trust, which runs Birmingham Women's Hospital. It will continue developing its test, which will screen for trisomies 21, 18, and 13, through the remainder of the summer and possibly begin offering it to patients in September. 

The trust said on its website that while the testing service will not be covered by the country's public health insurance, it "is a real step forward to be able to provide this service in a hospital environment by [National Heath Service] scientists. It also paves the way for the service to be commissioned for all NHS patients in the future."  

Illumina currently offers the Verifi NIPT through its Verinata business. It is unclear whether the test being developed by Birmingham will be based on that technology. On deadline, the company did not comment. 

During Illumina's second-quarter earnings conference call last week, CEO Jay Flatley outlined the firm's efforts to expand its NIPT business outside the US, including plans to launch a CE-IVD marked NIPT on the NextSeq platform, as well as plans to get CE marking for the VeriSeq NIPT product as an in vitro diagnostic solution.

Flatley said that in the second quarter, Illumina had signed five new partnerships outside the US to develop and run the VeriSeq NIPT protocol and had 19 such deals to eventually run the test from partnering labs. 

The Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust did not respond to a request for comment.