Background Shortly after birth, all babies in the U.S. undergo routine newborn screening (NBS). NBS saves and improves the lives of thousands of babies each year by detecting rare diseases that might otherwise go unnoticed until it’s too late for treatment. The NBS test is done by taking a small amount of blood from a … Continued
News
Announcement: Dr. Robert C. Green BEACONS Project
BWH Division of Genetics Newsroom
February 2026
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Genetics celebrates the G2P team as recipients of NIH funding for the launch of the BEACONS Project, a landmark initiative exploring the integration of genomic sequencing into state newborn screening programs!
BEACONS Newborn Genome Screening Study Selects Seven Sites, Finalizes Gene List
GenomeWeb
January 2026
GenomeWeb celebrates the BEACONS team’s announcement regarding the selection of 7 U.S. states and territories selected to assess the feasibility of integrating whole genome sequencing into public health newborn screening. The team also published the curated gene list, which consists of 746 genes associated with 777 genetic conditions, all clinically actionable within the first year … Continued
BEACONS Selects Seven Sites, Finalizes Gene List for Genomic Newborn Screening Study
Ariadne Labs Press
January 2026
Ariadne Labs covers the announcement of two major milestones from the newly NIH-funded study, BEACONS. Six states and one U.S. territory have been selected to assess feasibility of integrating whole genome sequencing into public health newborn screening. The BEACONS team has also published the curated gene list, consisting of 777 genetic conditions, all actionable within … Continued
APHL Convenes Newborn Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative, Ensuring Public Health Laboratory Input
APHL Blog
December 2025
APHL celebrates the launch of BEACONS, the nation’s first multi-state initiative evaluating whether whole genome sequencing (WGS) can be responsibly integrated into the U.S. newborn screening system. With a $14.4M NIH award and invaluable participation from public health labs across the country, BEACONS will test how WGS affects workflows, consent, data systems, and the actionable … Continued
NIH Funds Multi-State Pilot For Genome Sequencing in Newborn Screening
News Medical Net
October 2025
Dr. Green describes the impact of the novel, NIH-funded BEACONS study: “For more than 50 years, newborn screening has been a beacon of trust, saving children’s lives by analyzing a few drops of blood after birth. BEACONS brings the next generation of hope, giving families the option of genomic screening for hundreds of additional conditions … Continued
First U.S. National Genomic Newborn Screening Initiative Launched with $14.4 Million NIH Award
MGB Newsroom
October 2025
Funded by a $14.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Venture Program, BEACONS will pilot the integration of whole genome sequencing into existing state newborn screening systems. The study will recruit, consent, and enroll up to 30,000 newborns in as many as 10 states over the next three years, a … Continued
GeneDx Announces First U.S. National Genomic Newborn Screening Initiative Launched with $14.4 Million NIH Award
Business Wire - Yahoo Finance
October 2025
GeneDx has launched the first multi-state national genomic newborn screening initiative, supported by a $14.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund Venture Program. The effort, part of the BEACONS project, will enroll thousands of newborns to study how whole genome sequencing could be integrated into standard public health newborn screening systems.
NIH Makes $14.4 Million Award to Launch Initiative to Bring WGS to Newborn Screening
Global Genes
October 2025
Global Genes celebrates the latest NIH award of $14.4 million to launch a pioneering initiative aimed at integrating whole genome sequencing (WGS) into newborn screening programs, with the goal of improving early detection of rare and treatable conditions.
The NIH Venture Program Announces First Award for the NBSxWGS (BEACONS) Initiative
NIH
September 2025
The NIH Common Fund’s Venture Program has announced the first award for the NBSxWGS (BEACONS) initiative, a multi-institutional effort to assess the feasibility of integrating whole genome sequencing into U.S. public health newborn screening programs. BEACONS brings together academic leaders, public health laboratories, sequencing partners, and community stakeholders to explore how genomic screening could identify … Continued









