Pediatric genetic expert Dr. Melissa Wasserstein has been awarded $3.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct the most expansive consented pilot newborn screening study in the country, known as ScreenPlus. Newborn babies are currently screened for between 30 to 50 disorders depending on their state.
Dr. Wasserstein and New York State Newborn Screening Program colleagues Drs. Joe Orsini and Michele Caggana will offer parents at eight New York hospitals the option to have their babies screened for an additional 13 disorders. Samples from approximately 150,000 ethnically diverse babies across New York State will be screened at the Wadsworth Center, New York State’s public health laboratory. The results of the study will provide critical information about whether these disorders should be added to routine newborn screening panels nationwide.