Honour for Down Syndrome test doctor

DR PHILIPPOS Patsalis, director of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, was awarded a distinguished alumni ward by the Department of State Office of Alumni Affairs yesterday for discovering a non-invasive prenatal test for Down Syndrome.

The award was presented by the American Ambassador for Cyprus, Frank C. Urbancic, who referred to Patsalis’ achievement as “a milestone in maternal health.” “The discovery by Dr Patsalis promises to make pregnancy safer by replacing a test that is difficult for the mother and risks harm to the foetus,” said Urbancic.

This is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the graduate office in recognition of achievements or contributions made by a graduate of an American university, or someone trained in America.

“I thank you for the honour but especially when its result has something to offer our fellow man,” said Patsalis who added that he got the best science education that he could have done. He earned a Master’s in Public Health and a PhD at City University New York and then went on to specialise in human genetics at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Centre and the Cornell Medical Centre.

The new non-invasive test developed by Patsalis and his team over the last five years, uses a small amount of blood from the pregnant woman to detect whether the foetus is at risk from Down Syndrome. It is the most common of mental retardation with an incidence of one in every 600 births. Current procedures such as amniocenteses and chorionic villus involve the use of a needle which passes through the womb and collects placental cells. Both hold considerable risk for foetal loss at 1.0 per cent of the pregnancies.

The new test should be available for clinical practice within the next two years.

“I’m happy that I could do this through my work,” said Patsalis who stressed how much dedication and hard work was needed, as well as the team he had around him.

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