Newborn and childhood genomic screening

Would you want to know if your newborn carried a risk of serious illness years before symptoms began? This CNN feature puts that question at the center of the newborn-genomics debate—showing both its potential to prevent illness and the difficult choices it may create for families.

This Nature feature explores the growing momentum behind genomic newborn screening, highlighting early evidence that sequencing can identify serious, treatable conditions that traditional newborn screening may miss. It examines major initiatives around the world—including BabySeq, GUARDIAN, BabyScreen+, the UK Generation Study, and BRIDGES-NBS—while considering key questions around scalability, cost, gene selection, interpretation, and the responsible … Continued

What’s in a name? For one of G2P’s newborn genomic screening studies, quite a bit — as Precision Medicine reports, the collaborative effort has rebranded as BRIDGES-NBS, a change designed to sharpen its identity and steer clear of confusion with unrelated products in the field.

Join us in celebrating Nina Gold and her team’s incredible work investigating the sensitivity of genomic newborn screening for treating inherited metabolic conditions. Editor-in-Chief Robert D. Steiner of Genetics in Medicine recognized this work as one of the most impactful pieces of genetics research published in 2025!

When Dr. Robert C. Green began BabySeq in 2013, it was the first program in the world to sequence healthy babies, and it was “totally radioactive,” he said. Screening can determine their risk for an ever-growing list of conditions — including ones we can’t do much about.

Researchers hope the new list of identifiable conditions—treatable during or after pregnancy—will help families prepare for what’s ahead and give their babies the best possible start.

“The ability to diagnose and treat nearly 300 actionable genetic conditions in fetuses and newborns marks a significant milestone in modern medicine. From traditional heel stick tests to cutting-edge genomic sequencing, these advances empower families with critical information and life-saving options. As research continues to evolve, integrating these technologies into routine prenatal and neonatal care … Continued

“We saw a critical gap in prenatal care and an opportunity to define the genetic disorders that are treatable during this time,” said senior author Nina Gold, director of Prenatal Medical Genetics at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “These conditions are actionable — meaning that, empowered with … Continued

José Manuel González de Aledo Castillo, PhD reflects on his experience rotating with the Genomes2People research program and working on the BabySeq project for a year as part of the IFCC Professional Exchange Program (PSEP). During his rotation, he supported recruitment, genomic analysis, and return of results for the BabySeq project. He also presented results … Continued

Robert Green, MD, MPH was interviewed by Gulf Times at the recent Precision Medicine and the Future of Genomics (PMFG) Summit in Doha, Qatar. Dr. Green discusses findings from the BabySeq Project and the potential for Qatar to be leader in genomics and precision medicine.