Mitera, a Mountain View-based company that provides telehealth services to address preganancy-related risks, has launched two new services today. 23Pears, an at-home expanded carrier screening test (ECS) that screens for 421 genes, and Peaches&Me, the the first at-home non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), are now available throughout the U.S.
Expanded carrier screening (which 23Pears offers) allows parents-to-be to examine their DNA and find out what genetic conditions they may potentially pass on to their baby, based on whether they are a “carrier” for those conditions or not. Learn more
Another type of reproductive genetic test called non-invasive prenatal testing or NIPT (which Peaches&Me offers) is done by pregnant women in early pregnancy, usually as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. Through a simple blood sample from the mother, the test screens the fetus for Down syndrome and usually a few other disorders. It can also screen for the sex of the baby. Learn more
Overall genetic testing has become a very powerful tool and increasingly popular in reproductive health as its cost has reduced in the past few years. Yet there are several major issues with how these tests are delivered today like the lack of clinical guidance, which was recently covered in the New York Times, and an outdated delivery model that complicates access.
Mitera’s solutions solves for these pain points as the company’s Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kathy Salari explains: “Screening and diagnostic testing options in pregnancy are overwhelming to the average pregnant woman. Tests delivered in a vacuum do not empower women in their pregnancy, and in fact can do quite the opposite. Tests that are accompanied with clinical guidance and care coordination, however, empower women with both the knowledge and autonomy they desire in their pregnancy.”
Saman Askari, the company’s Co-founder & CEO adds: “Mitera’s main objective is the convenient delivery of genetic tests in pregnancy while providing robust medical oversight, a requirement that’s even more important within virtual care. Given the needs of a new generation of tech-savvy pregnant women, Mitera not only provides a seamless and user-friendly virtual interface, but it also ensures that an expert in reproductive genetics is ready to hold your hand when needed.”
Mitera is licensed and structured to provide medical services throughout the United States. The two new tests are available in all 50 states as of today.
