100,000 newborns in England to have entire genomes sequenced to detect rare genetic diseases

In a medical first, 100,000 newborns in England will have their entire genomes sequenced in order to detect and treat rare genetic diseases as early as possible.

The government-funded study – which will take place over the next two years – is designed to gauge the health and cost benefits of decoding the DNA of healthy babies. If successful, it could be rolled out nationwide.