Two Boston Hospitals To Sequence Genome Of Newborns For The First Time Ever

BOSTON (CBS) – It’s the very definition of optimism: a newborn baby. And to keep these little ones the perfect pictures of health, some day in the near future, routine newborn care could include a sci-fi screening that is slowly going mainstream. “Some people have called this the book of life,” explained Dr. Robert Green of Brigham & Women’s Hospital. For the first time ever doctors at Brigham & Women’s and Boston Children’s Hospital are sequencing the genome of newborns. This allows doctors to decode the DNA and look for the possibility of future diseases and conditions. “Here we have the opportunity to learn much more about somebody’s potential future and help guide their care,” said Children’s Hospital Doctor Alan Beggs. Right now all newborn babies are screened with a blood test for dozens of medical conditions but with genomic sequencing doctors are able to check for more than 1,600 hereditary conditions. Sequencing the genome can reveal the risk of future illnesses like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and certain cancers. It can also determine if a patient will have a positive or negative reaction to a particular medication. Metro-West moms we spoke with at their Stroller Strides Fit4Mom class could see the good and the bad. “I think it will help you cope with whatever it is that you’re going to have to cope with anyways,” said Newton mom, Kristen Feig. Emily Haranas of Natic...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Boston Children's Hospital Brigham & Women's Hospital Dr. Mallika Marshall human genome Newborn Source Type: news