Press Releases:
NIH: The NIH Venture Program Announces First Award for the NBSxWGS (BEACONS) Initiative
Ariadne Labs: BEACONS Selects Seven Sites, Finalizes Gene List for Genomic Newborn Screening Study
GenomeWeb: BEACONS Newborn Genome Screening Study Selects Seven Sites, Finalizes Gene List
Announcement:
Dr. Robert C. Green, Genomes2People, and others were the recipients of NIH funding to examine the feasibility of implementing whole genome sequencing into newborn screening workflows, called BEACONS. The project launched in September 2025.
BEACONS is a research project that is expanding traditional newborn screening programs to allow them to, for the first time ever, offer large-scale newborn genome screening as part of the existing state newborn screening programs.
This NIH-funded study will give parents of newborns in seven states and territories across the U.S. the opportunity to screen their baby’s DNA for up to hundreds of health conditions that are medically actionable in the first year of life.
Parents will be offered the option to consider consenting and enrolling for newborn genomic sequencing shortly after birth. This study will engage with the community through an active Community Advisory Board (CAB) and early input from key stakeholders, including local newborn screening programs, that will provide important input into the project design.
The goal of this study will be to better understand the feasibility of offering genomic newborn screening as part of the already existing state newborn screening programs, including understanding the interest, uptake and reactions of parents, the newborn screening public health community, clinicians and other important stakeholders.
This project will pave the way for newborn screening programs, doctors, and scientists to understand if parents and states are ready, willing, and able to offer newborn genomic sequencing, and better understand how it might impact the lives of newborns and their parents, while ensuring it is introduced thoughtfully and responsibly nationwide.