Centers of Excellence to Enhance Disease Detection in Newborns

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The use of dried blood spots to screen newborns for serious diseases has had a significant impact in saving lives and improving developmental outcomes since 1963. The adoption of new technologies into public health laboratory workflows has made it possible to screen newborns for an increasing number of diseases. Today, advanced technologies, such as Next Generation Whole Genome Sequencing and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry, can enhance key aspects of newborn screening (NBS) practice, including early detection of current and newly added diseases. However, incorporating these advanced and complex technologies into NBS often requires substantial resources. To enhance NBS practice, CDC announces a new NOFO for a public health laboratory to establish a NBS Center of Excellence that will 1) develop infrastructure to implement existing, advanced technologies to expand NBS system capacity, 2) use advanced technologies as second and third tier testing platforms to optimize screening performance, and 3) incorporate bio-informatics to analyze complex biochemical and molecular data. Over the four-year project, the recipient will pilot methods to enhance NBS practices in public health laboratories, collaborate and share findings with the NBS community, and partner with CDC subject-matter experts on data harmonization and modernization efforts. This project will better position NBS programs to adapt to advanced technologies and meet increasing demands within NBS.