Transformational Newborn Screening Program Launched

Life Cell International, India’s premier stem cell bank and mother and baby diagnostics company, has announced the launch of RightStart – the world’s first Integrated DNA testing for Newborn Screening to detect over 50 medical conditions. This technology has been proven to be more accurate than current screening methods and has also been found to drastically reduce the false-positive reporting thereby avoiding unnecessary follow-up tests and anxiety of the parents, the company said. In current process of newborn screening, a few drops of blood are obtained through heel prick from the baby’s heel, usually 48 hours after childbirth, and is analyzed by profiling a specific set of metabolites present in the blood. If an abnormal metabolic profile is found further testing is recommended for confirmation. The confirmatory test would need an additional sample to be taken once again from the child. – United News of India