newborn screening programs

Newborn screening programs routinely collect and store babies' genetic material, raising unresolved legal questions about parental consent and the privacy of that data. Debate centres on whether state-run screening systems adequately protect families' genetic information, and who controls the long-term storage and secondary use of blood spot samples taken at birth.

Baylor Genetics has been named the lead sequencing partner for a Florida newborn screening pilot, according to an announcement covered by Clinical Lab Products. The program is expected to use genomic sequencing to expand how newborns are screened for genetic conditions in the state. Further details about the pilot's scope, partners, and timeline were not included in the announcement.