Detecting circulating fetal cells involves several steps:
1. Blood Sample Collection: A maternal blood sample is collected. 2. Cell Enrichment: Techniques such as density gradient centrifugation or magnetic cell sorting are used to enrich the fetal cells from the maternal blood. 3. Identification and Analysis: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS) are commonly used to identify and analyze the genetic material of the fetal cells.