A UK program will sequence the genomes of 100,000 newborn babies - CNN

“The heel prick is long overdue to be obsolete,” argues Eric Topol, an American cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine at The Scripps Research Institute, who is not connected with the UK sequencing initiative.

One example is congenital hyperthyroidism, which impacts neurological development and growth and affects “one in 1,500 to 2,000 babies in the UK,” explains Krishna Chatterjee, professor of endocrinology at the University of Cambridge.

Richard Scott, chief medical officer and deputy CEO at Genomics England, says the program aims to return screening results to families in two weeks, and estimates at least one in 200 babies will receive a diagnosis.

Feedback from a public consultation ahead of the UK project’s launch was generally positive, although some participants voiced concerns that religious views could affect uptake, and a few expressed skepticism and mistrust about current scientific developments in healthcare, according to a report on its findings.

Richard Scott of Genomics England says he hopes findings from the UK will be useful to other countries’ health systems, especially those not in “a strong position to develop the evidence and to support their decisions as well.”

Multiple interviewees for this article viewed genome sequencing as an extension of current testing, though stopped short of suggesting it could become standard practice for all newborn babies.