FLORENCE, Italy, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Baebies®, a growth-stage medical device company developing innovative products to enable early disease detection and multifunctional diagnostic testing for children and adults., in partnership with medical device supplier Medical Horizons, today announced newborns in Italy are being screened with the Baebies SEEKER® platform.
The Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry, and Pharmacology Lab at Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence becomes the first lab in Italy to screen newborns for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) including Pompe disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis type I, Fabry, and Gaucher on the SEEKER platform.
Powered by digital microfluidics technology, SEEKER is an FDA-cleared and CE-marked newborn screening platform for LSDs. It’s flexible, high throughput laboratory solution provides newborn screening results in under 3 hours for multiple LSDs from a single dried blood spot specimen.
“Our continued expansion of digital microfluidics technology into new global markets represents exciting opportunities to screen more babies and save more lives,” said Vamsee Pamula, Co-Founder and President of Baebies. “We look forward to many more opportunities with Medical Horizons.”
The technology selection process at Meyer Children’s Hospital was led by Dr. Giancarlo la Marca, deputy department head of the Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry, and Pharmacology Lab. Dr. la Marca is a recognized global authority in newborn screening, who works closely with the International Society for Neonatal Screening to advance research and adoption of newborn screening around the world.
“There is not one perfect solution for all newborn screening. It is important to use the best tool for each condition,” said Dr. la Marca. “Using digital microfluidics technology to screen for lysosomal storage disorders frees up our mass spectrometer for other testing and research.”
Other key criteria contributing to selection of the SEEKER platform were its compact size and ease of use.
Currently, newborn screening for LSDs is not mandatory in Italy. However, an amendment to current newborn screening legislation could expedite inclusion of new conditions like LSDs in screening panels around the country.
“Our goal is to ensure that the labs we serve are prepared when screening becomes mandatory,” said Guido Osti, CEO of Medical Horizons. “The launch of SEEKER in this first location in Florence is an important step forward.”
About Baebies
Guided by the vision that “everyone deserves a healthy start,” Baebies delivers millions of tests globally every year to save lives and make lives better. Baebies is a pioneer in digital microfluidics, which maximizes diagnostic yield from low-volume samples. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, their products are used in central laboratories and point-of-care settings worldwide.
About Medical Horizons
Medical Horizons was created to identify medical innovation worldwide, that had the potential to become innovative new products and then develop their commercialization with the most selected Italian sales network. Medical Horizons’ expertise includes understanding the commercial interest that innovative device will have for the Italian Market so to ensure that these products will meet the perceived need of prospective acquirers.
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