Using Fulgent Genetics's Picture Genetics platform, both firms will offer the newborn genetic screening panels to CBR families
CooperSurgical and Fulgent Genetics launch newborn genetic testing for Cord Blood Registry families. (Credit: National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)
Cord Blood Registry (CBR) by CooperSurgical, a fertility and women’s healthcare company, and US-based Fulgent Genetics have partnered to unveil a new genetic testing range for newborns.
CBR is a private newborn stem cell company. It stores stem cells from cord blood and cord tissue of parents for their children.
Using Fulgent Genetics’s Picture Genetics platform, both firms will offer these newborn genetic screening panels to CBR families.
CooperSurgical president Holly Sheffield said: “We are proud to offer our CBR families additional resources that complement our newborn stem cell services as we continue to deliver personalised, cutting-edge solutions to families nationwide.”
The testing range includes the CBR Snapshot genetic test which is designed to screen children for over 250 genes associated with metabolic illnesses, blood disorders, cancers, cardiovascular disorders, and hearing/vision loss.
The newborn genetic screening panels also include the CBR Portrait genetic test, which is designed for more than 600 genes.
It covers every gene that CBR Snapshot detects including those associated withs hearing loss, actionable epilepsy, immunodeficiency, heart conditions, and neonatal diabetes.
CBR Portrait is said to have the potential to find more rare causes of these conditions.
The range also consists of the CBR Landscape genetic test that can detect more than 1,500 genes, covering everything in CBR Snapshot and CBR Portrait.
Additionally, this genetic test can identify genes related to a broader range of genetic conditions.
CBR Landscape has a pharmacogenetic (PGx) component, which is a genetic test to monitor how a person breaks down or metabolises certain drugs. It can also detect the potential for adverse reactions to over 100 medications.
Fulgent Genetics chief commercial officer Brandon Perthuis said: “Partnering with CBR allows us to help provide more families with actionable information about their newborn’s health.
“Part of our mission is to use our resources and testing to improve the lives of those around us. Newborn genetic analysis serves as an illustration of this commitment, as early intervention may significantly improve health outcomes for many of these conditions.”
CooperSurgical, a wholly owned subsidiary of CooperCompanies, manufactures and commercialises a wide array of products and services for women’s health care clinicians.