Newborns set to go through groundbreaking DNA tests that spot rare diseases
ALL newborns could one day have their entire DNA checked in a “revolutionary” bid to spot rare illnesses in babies.
Scientists want to replace the standard heel-prick blood test with a full gene analysis.
A government-funded trial will roll out to 100,000 infants next year to see whether it could work on the NHS.
Current blood droplet tests for all babies look for nine genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.
But a DNA screen could run through a list of thousands.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay yesterday said: “The potential for genomics to revolutionise the way we deliver health care is great.”
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Genomic screening works by scanning DNA from a blood sample.
It compares sections of genetic code to a database of illnesses to see if the patient has any.
The software can check for more than 6,000 conditions in days.
Poorly newborns already get the checks in an NHS world-first launched in October, but healthy kids are not yet included.
The £105million study will be run by Genomics England in 2023.