Project ENTER: Pioneering Prenatal Care and Counselling

Our goal is to provide family peace of mind and confidence with a single blood sample analysis, backed by the science-based and technology-intensive NIPTIFY Focus Plus test.

Address

Teaduspargi 13, 50411, Tartu, Eesti

Address

Teaduspargi 13, 50411, Tartu, Eesti

Phone

+372 733 0403

Phone

+372 733 0403

The NIPTIFY team

The NIPTIFY team

The NIPTIFY team includes the outstanding and renowned researchers – four members have a doctorate, one has a doctor of medicine, and multiple has a master’s degree. Together, the team members have published over 250 scientific articles and hold several patents. In international cooperation, the tight collaboration is with the University of Helsinki, the Karolinska Institute, and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. The team members have established companies professionally and won the Swedish business award “Innovation of the Year” in 2016.

We aim to participate in focused research, develop methodologies and develop precision medicine and personalized medicine tests needed in women’s and infertility treatment clinics. The success story of the NIPTIFY test is one of the reasons why the Health Insurance Fund started reimbursing the NIPT test in January 2020. Thus, NIPTIFY has significantly contributed to the quality of national first-trimester screening. Tervise-TAK offers medical services based on the Health Board’s license L05235. The NIPTIFY medical laboratory meets the requirements of EVS-EN ISO 15189:2021. The NIPTIFY test is a CE-IVD-marked in vitro diagnostic device that has been validated, controlled, and can provide in the European Union.

Project ENTER: Pioneering Prenatal Care and Counselling

The ENTER project represents a significant step forward in the field of prenatal care, offering a vision of more accessible, affordable, and high-quality services for expectant mothers in Latvia. It places a specific focus on non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPT).

Through the ENTER project, four organizations, the Competence Centre on Health Technologies in Estonia, Latvian laboratory “GenEra” and clinics “Ģimenes sirds” and “Dubultu Doktorāts”, have joined forces to provide high-quality prenatal care and counselling, utilizing modern genomic and digital technologies.

Objectives: The project´s primary objectives encompass establishing a contemporary digital data exchange and online counselling system while validating its effectiveness through a study involving 300 patients.

By harnessing the already established Estonian NIPT service (NIPTIFY), ENTER aims to empower healthcare providers in Vidzeme, Pierīga, and other Estonian-Latvian cross-border regions, thereby enhancing the quality and sustainability of prenatal care.

With approximately 20,000 deliveries in Latvia each year, of which 15% necessiate NIPT due to fetal genetic chromosomal disease risks, accessibility and affordability are critical. Currently, the high costs of tests and the lack of interpretation expertise in clinics restrict access to these vital healthcare services.

The collaboration with CCHT, an Estonian biotech company that has successfully implemented NIPTIFY, promises to provide essential support, ensuring comprehensive service delivery. By sharing expertise across regions, private clinics can offer genetic services without establishing separate competencies in each region. ENTER envisions breaking away from prevailing structures, thereby improving service quality and enhancing accessibility through the integration of digital, genetic, and clinical competencies.

Funding: The total project funding amounts 607 700 EUR, with a substantial 80% contribution coming from the Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027.

Period: The project is scheduled to span from October 1st, 2023, to September 30th, 2026.