They create in the United States a new DNA test for babies able to detect more than 190 diseases

When a baby is born, the famous heel prick test is performed, which consists of a series of tests to detect and thus be able to treat early metabolic diseases, such as hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, among others (although they may vary by country).

Now, in the United States, they have created a new test to perform on newborns and they will be able to detect up to 193 diseases in their genes.

This new DNA test can be performed through a small sample of newborn saliva and will be able to detect genetic diseases such as epilepsy, anemia, and metabolic disorders. The test will cost $649 dollars (around 530 euros) and is aimed at healthy babies, as a complement to the tests that are currently performed and that detect 34 diseases.

In an interview for MIT Technology Review, Eric Schadt, the CEO of Sema4, the company that created this test, says that some parents want to know more about their children's genes than the standard tests offer.

With this test, you could prevent people from suffering for a long time before getting a correct diagnosis of any of the diseases that the test detects. In addition, the test also looks at how a baby's reaction might be to 38 medications that are commonly prescribed in early childhood.

In general, the test seems a good option for the early detection of diseases, however, it may not be the best option for parents. According to Laura Hercher, a geneticist at Sarah Lawrence University, it may not be beneficial for families, since in certain cases, the results of the test could be cause for anxiety and confusion, and encourage other unnecessary tests and treatments:

"You put parents in a terrible position, because they will not know whether to wait until their son is sick to perform in some cases certain draconian treatments," says the geneticist, even if the baby had a mutation in their genes, they could pass many years before it presented any symptoms or never develop the disease.