GeneDx Announces First U.S. National Genomic Newborn Screening Initiative Launched with $14.4 Million NIH Award

GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS), a leader in delivering improved health outcomes through genomic insights, alongside Mass General Brigham, Ariadne Labs, Boston Children’s Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Case Western Reserve University, Baylor College of Medicine, and Illumina, today announced the launch of BEACONS (Building Evidence and Collaboration for GenOmics in Nationwide Newborn Screening), the nation’s first multi-state genomic newborn screening initiative.

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. If successful, BEACONS will provide the first national evidence that genome sequencing can be implemented responsibly, fairly, and sustainably through public health newborn screening programs. The project is intended as the beginning of a broader national initiative, with the potential to scale beyond the initial 30,000 newborns.

APHL’s Newborn Screening and Genetics program directors Jelili Ojodu, MPH and Sikha Singh, MHS, PMP, co-investigators, will provide critical leadership to align the study with state public health laboratories and programs. By working collaboratively with existing newborn screening programs, the initiative aims to build a sustainable roadmap for incorporating genome sequencing into U.S. public health practice.

“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,” said Robert Green, MD, MPH, contact and co-lead investigator at Mass General Brigham and Ariadne Labs. “BEACONS brings the next generation of hope, giving families the option of genomic screening for hundreds of additional conditions that can be treated from birth, in an era when gene and cell therapies are rapidly expanding treatment possibilities. Together, families who volunteer in participating state programs will be collaborating in a national effort to give every child the brightest start to life.”