The Brief
- A new statewide initiative launching this summer at Tampa General Hospital will offer free whole genome sequencing for newborns through Florida’s new Sunshine Genetics Newborn Screening Program.
- Those behind it say the program will expand newborn screening from 60 conditions to nearly 900, helping identify rare genetic diseases before symptoms appear.
- Lawmakers, doctors, and scientists say earlier diagnosis could save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and position Florida as a national leader in genomic medicine.
TAMPA, Fla. – For decades, newborn screening has relied on a heel-prick blood test that identifies a limited number of serious conditions shortly after birth. While every state’s program differs, Florida currently screens for 60 serious conditions and diseases at birth.
Florida’s new approach to newborn screening
What we know:
Beginning this summer, families delivering at Tampa General Hospital will have the option to participate in the Sunshine Genetics Newborn Screening Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative that uses whole genome sequencing to search for hundreds of rare genetic diseases before symptoms develop.
“It will greatly expand our ability to diagnose these rare conditions,” said Dr. Patricia Emmanuel at Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH, Chief of Pediatrics and Lewis A. Barness Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “My hope is that we are able to have a partnership with families to really understand some of the complexities of genetic diseases and to really advance cures. That is our ultimate goal in pediatrics. We want happy, healthy, growing kids.”
State Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor, who spearheaded the legislation behind the program, said screening capabilities have grown rapidly as science advances.…