AFP has garnered much attention in the clinical setting of pregnancy, as maternal serum AFP (msAFP) is used in order to screen for neural tube defects (NTDs) and amniotic AFP (aAFP) is used for diagnostic testing of such defects; additionally, first or second trimester ultrasound can detect spina bifida in cases of elevated AFP related to NTDs. Here, AFP is linked to neural tube defect.