Sequenom Inc. provider of genetic analysis and services said on Wednesday that its device to detect Down syndrome in a prenatal stage, showed no margin of error when tested in 200 samples and sent its shares up over 20 percent.

The device can detect Down syndrome in the first three months of pregnancy using a sample of the mother's blood. On a test with 200 samples, Sequenom's device worked without giving false-positive results, the company reported.

Shares of Sequenom jumped 21.80 percent up at $9.33 in the Nasdaq trading on Wednesday.

The company said in a statement that current serum-testing options for the same purpose have detection rates of 70 to 90 percent with false-positive rates of as high as 5 percent. The San Diego-based group plans to continue development of the SEQureDX test through the end of the year.

Down