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GeneDx Announces First U.S. National Genomic Newborn Screening Initiative Launched with $14.4 Million NIH Award
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The launch of BEACONS (Building Evidence and Collaboration for GenOmics in Nationwide Newborn Screening), the nation's first multi-state genomic newborn screening initiative, was announced by GeneDx, a leader in genomic insights., a leader in genomic insights.

This groundbreaking project, led by Mass General Brigham and Ariadne Labs, is a multi-institutional collaboration that also includes GeneDx, Boston Children’s Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Baylor College of Medicine, and Illumina.

Funded by a substantial $14.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Venture Program, the initiative's core mission is to pilot the responsible, fair, and sustainable integration of whole genome sequencing into existing state newborn screening systems. The study is ambitious, planning to recruit, consent, and enroll up to 30,000 newborns across as many as 10 states over the next three years, with GeneDx performing the complex genomic sequencing and interpretation. As co-lead investigator Dr. Robert Green noted, BEACONS aims to bring the "next generation of hope" by providing families with the option of genomic screening for hundreds of additional treatable conditions, which could potentially eliminate the long diagnostic odyssey common for children with rare diseases. The multidisciplinary leadership team, which includes experts in the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of genomics, will carefully select a list of conditions where early identification can meaningfully improve a child's health outcome. Crucially, the project's governance is firmly anchored in public health and academic sectors, demanding full parental education and consent for newborn enrollment. Community perspectives are integral to the study, with a Community Advisory Board and ongoing parental surveys designed to address the complex ethical, legal, privacy, and social considerations and ensure that the expansion of newborn screening is carried out in a thoughtful, transparent manner while preserving universal access.

BEACONS will establish the vital national evidence base needed to build a sustainable roadmap for incorporating genome sequencing into U.S. public health practice at scale.

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