
Current newborn screening tests a baby’s blood for several dozen known, treatable conditions. Can full-on DNA sequencing at birth add more benefit? Interpreting sequencing results is complex: having a genetic variant doesn’t always mean having the disease, and many of the conditions identified may not currently be treatable.
To explore what DNA sequencing might turn up, the BabySeq study, an NIH-funded project, was in launched in 2015. A team led by Ozge Ceyhan-Birsoy, PhD of Partners HealthCare and Alan H. Beggs, PhD, now reports the comprehensive results of whole-exome sequencing in 159 infants. Their analysis is published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. …