Minerva Clinic

The journey to parenthood is one of life’s most meaningful transitions. For many, it’s a period of joy and anticipation. But for some, memories of the past bring uncertainty. They may have lost a child without knowing why, or are caring for children with special medical or developmental needs and live with the anxiety that the next pregnancy could have the same result. Others worry that genetic conditions may be passed on. In every situation, people seek answers they can trust.

Minerva Clinic offers clarity and reassurance through its one-stop genetic and prenatal diagnostic services. It handles every stage of the journey, from preconception carrier screening to confirmatory diagnostics and result explanation, with full medical accountability.

Tests are merely a door that opens to a wider path of care. Families are handheld from pre-test counseling to postnatal assistance to help them understand their options and what each outcome may mean for their lives. Reliable, consistent counsel enables them to make choices they can accept with true peace of mind.

“My mission is not merely to detect genetic risks, but to accompany couples through uncertainty, offering scientific clarity and emotional support to move forward,” says Dr. Hiromi Nakata, director.

Dr. Nakata spent her high school years as the only Japanese student in a small rural town in Belgium. Living among people of diverse cultures and beliefs taught her to respect individual values, a principle that continues to guide her philosophy of honoring every patient’s decision.

Armed with national board certifications in clinical genetics, oncology and general internal medicine, she provides scientifically grounded services. In a society facing declining birthrates, her work has profound meaning.

Providing a Complete Genetic Picture

Minerva Clinic offers multiple tests, allowing patients to select the most appropriate option based on their individual risk factors and personal preferences.

Its preconception carrier screening is a once-in-a-lifetime test that clarifies the genetic background of prospective parents so they can understand potential future risks. It screens for more than one hundred autosomal recessive and X-linked disorders and reveals hidden genetic risks before pregnancy. Minerva’s carrier screening panel covers all Tier 3 genes, as recommended by the ACMG, providing comprehensive, globally aligned genetic testing. Many IVF specialists in the U.S. recommend it to patients who come from Japan to seek treatment in America.

If a risk is identified, advanced non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) helps couples make decisions with confidence. It expands the boundaries of standard aneuploidy screening to detect even microdeletion syndromes and single-gene disorders.

While chromosomal aneuploidies identified through NIPT are more commonly linked to advanced maternal age, single-gene disorders often correlate with advanced paternal age. Studies suggest a combined occurrence of roughly 1 in 600 for single-gene disorders and about 1 in 1000 for microdeletion syndromes. Minerva adopts an integrated approach that considers both maternal and paternal genetic contributions, offering couples a fuller and more accurate understanding of their genetic landscape.

Achieving precise and reliable NIPT results is a top priority. The clinic doesn’t run NIPT on an in-house sequencer because relying on a single machine can limit accuracy and future improvements. Minerva carefully chooses global labs and tests, ensuring results are as accurate as possible. This policy also enables the clinic to remain independent of any particular company or testing provider, maximizing reproducibility, comprehensiveness and precision. Once the analysis is complete, the team interprets the findings and provides expert guidance.

When results indicate a potential concern, diagnostic tests such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis are performed in-house, providing a seamless and coordinated path from screening to confirmation.

Making Advanced Genomics Accessible and Meaningful

Minerva’s evolution into a comprehensive center dates back to a time when Dr. Nakata chose to challenge the rigid boundaries of Japan’s medical system.

Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, certifies certain institutions as ‘authorized facilities’ for performing NIPT. Its framework required providers to hold certifications in pediatrics or obstetrics and gynecology. Even cosmetic clinics and dermatology practices without genetic expertise have started offering NIPT, but board-certified clinical geneticists like Dr. Nakata were barred from providing it.

For her, the inconsistency was both unscientific and ethically troubling. The official training curriculum for clinical geneticists explicitly includes prenatal diagnosis, and her qualifications fully certify that capability. Yet the system denied participation based on departmental labels rather than actual expertise.

Deeper flaws in the healthcare structure were another challenge. When one of her early patients tested positive for trisomy 22, confirmatory amniocentesis had to be outsourced to another facility. The result came back negative. She was not allowed to participate in the patient’s decision-making or re-verify the result, and the pregnancy ended prematurely.

The experience highlighted the need to go beyond relying on NIPT, ultrasound or amniocentesis alone, to applying interdisciplinary, panoramic medicine. Dr. Nakata persevered for years, determined to close the gaps bureaucracy had created. In 2025, she and trusted obstetric colleagues transformed Minerva into a one-stop shop capable of performing confirmatory tests that delivered accurate, holistic results.

“We remain committed to enhancing the quality of prenatal diagnostics and advancing genomic medicine by standing with patients,” says Dr. Nakata.

Helping Families Make Informed Choices

Once the results arrive, the decision belongs entirely to the patient. Minerva’s role is not to influence it, but to be there for patients as they find their own way forward.

For instance, one patient had grown up with a brother with disabilities. From childhood, she had watched her parents dedicate themselves to his care while she learned to suppress her own needs.

Years later, after enduring a long struggle with infertility, she conceived her second child through IVF. Her preimplantation genetic testing showed no abnormalities, but Minerva’s comprehensive NIPT result came back positive for a single-gene disorder that was later confirmed through testing. Though she wanted to continue the pregnancy, she couldn’t ignore the memory of her childhood and the fear that her older child might experience the same emotional burden she once did. After much thought, she made the painful decision to terminate the pregnancy.

Stories like hers remind the Minerva team that prenatal medicine is not about right or wrong outcomes. Having lived with a rare genetic condition herself, Dr. Nakata reflects on how today’s advanced testing might have influenced her existence. She understands the weight of the choices her patients must make.

Her compassion also guides patients who seek closure. One patient had spent years carrying guilt after her first child was diagnosed with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. She believed she had caused her child’s illness and was haunted by the thought that the same genetic deletion might happen when she became pregnant again. She turned to Minerva Clinic for help. A chromosomal microarray analysis confirmed that she did not carry the deletion. The result brought an overwhelming sense of relief after years of self-blame. Supported by expert counseling, she went on to deliver a healthy baby.

For others, the clinic becomes a place of renewal after loss. A woman who had ended her first pregnancy after a positive NIPT and confirmatory test for Trisomy 21 conceived again and turned to Minerva for guidance. Testing indicated Trisomy 21. While her husband wished to terminate, she hoped to continue. Ultrasounds showed no other major complications. Through compassionate counseling, the couple decided to move forward. Their baby was born healthy, and today they live happily as a family.

“Prenatal testing is not about selecting life, but about preparing for life,” says Dr. Nakata.

“Supporting that preparation, understanding and courage is the heart of our mission.”

Where Care Continues After the Test Results

Beyond the test lies a period of waiting and uncertainty that can weigh heavily on patients.

Anxiety is alleviated by the same physician accompanying a patient throughout the process, ensuring that results are delivered promptly and smoothly. By minimizing outsourcing and referrals, Minerva creates a seamless journey.

It also closely coordinates with laboratories and partner institutions to deliver results as quickly as possible. Patients are assisted in interpreting results and in putting them within the context of their values, relationships and life choices.

Recognizing that pregnancy is as emotional as it is medical, the clinic promotes open, ongoing dialogue rather than one-time explanations. Patients are encouraged to return, ask more questions, and take time to reflect before making decisions.

They can track progress through a personalized online portal. The secure platform allows patients to communicate directly with physicians and staff, and receive their results. For those who receive a positive result, unlimited counseling is provided at no extra cost.

Patient voices actively shape the evolution of care. Post-counseling surveys and follow-up emails enable patients to share their suggestions, which are used to refine processes.

Although prenatal genomics is leaping ahead, Minerva Clinic carefully considers ethics and clinical value before adopting any new technology. Every decision is steered by one question: Will this truly benefit families, today and tomorrow?

Minerva Clinic’s mission to balance science with ethics and humanity makes it a place of hope and trust for all who seek answers.