Dr. DAlton led a landmark 2005 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that figured prominently in ACOGs policy shift. This Columbia-based study, funded by a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – one of the largest ever grants for an obstetrical study, showed the effectiveness of a new combination of first-trimester tests in predicting Down Syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, compared to standard second trimester tests.

The new screening approach uses a blood test that analyzes the level of a protein and hormone in the mothers blood, combined with an ultrasound or sonogram picture of the thickness of skin on the back of the babys neck (known as the nuchal translucency or NT). Dr. DAlton and her research team demonstrated that this combination approach enables prenatal diagnosis for Down Syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities within the first trimester or pregnancy for the vast majority of women.

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