Sequenom, a life sciences company that provides innovative genetic analysis solutions, and Mayo Medical Laboratories (MML), the third-largest provider of esoteric laboratory services in the United States, have announced a licence agreement for noninvasive prenatal testing patents and applications.

"We have great appreciation for Mayo Clinic's commitment to research, innovation, and patient care, and we welcome the opportunity to partner with the organisation's leading clinical research laboratory to expand patient access to this revolutionary technology," said William Welch, chief executive officer of Sequenom, Inc.

Sequenom Laboratories first pioneered the use of noninvasive prenatal testing in 2011 with the introduction of the MaterniT21 PLUS laboratory-developed test that has helped more than 250,000 pregnant women worldwide who are at a high risk for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. A December 2012 joint committee opinion from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine supports the use of cell-free fetal DNA testing as an option for primary screening for pregnant women at increased risk of aneuploidy (abnormal chromosomal number), including those 35 years of age or older or who have a history of ultrasound abnormalities in pregnancy.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.