Neonatal Screening Program To Be Expanded in Saudi Arabia

Approximately 800,000 babies are born each year in Saudi Arabia, which has a population of about 27.6 million. A Saudi hospital, the country's leading provider of neonatal screening for genetic disorders, is providing the early identification and treatment of otherwise debilitating or life-threatening conditions.

Currently, the King Faisal Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) screens for congenital hypothyroidism (CH), which left untreated, can lead to severe mental retardation. Three additional tests will be added under the expanded program including: congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a hormonal disorder affecting the adrenal glands; galactosemia, which if left untreated, can cause poor development or death; and biotinidase deficiency (BIOT), which can lead to seizures, developmental delay, eczema, and hearing loss.

PerkinElmer, Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) announced a multi-year agreement with the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center to support its expanded newborn screening program. Under the terms of the agreement, PerkinElmer will provide instrumentation, reagents, software, and screening expertise that will help the King Faisal Hospital increase its screening capacity. Through this expanded initiative with PerkinElmer, the King Faisal Hospital hopes to double its screening rate to 200,000 newborns by the end of 2008, and to 400,000 newborns by the end of 2009.

As part of the agreement, the King Faisal Hospital will use Specimen Gate, PerkinElmer's screening laboratory information management system (LIMS). This software will allow the hospital to implement a comprehensive solution that will electronically track laboratory workflow from sample receipt and preparation, through the analytic steps, to quality control review, reporting, and follow-up.

"We are pleased to partner with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center to aid in the expansion of its newborn screening program,” said Robert F. Friel, president and chief operating officer, PerkinElmer. "PerkinElmer is committed to supporting early detection programs worldwide with leading neonatal screening technology designed to identify infants at risk for devastating metabolic disorders, enabling early intervention and treatment to save lives and improve quality of life.”


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King Faisal Hospital
PerkinElmer