LifeCell International, a largest & most accredited stem cell bank in India has launched BabyShield, the world’s most advanced and non-invasive newborn screening programme. The BabyShield screening programme is performed on a few drops of blood collected from the baby’s umbilical cord at birth and also urine sample retrieved after 48 hours of the baby’s birth.

According to Mayur Abhaya, president and executive director, LifeCell International, “BabyShield is a revolutionary development in field of newborn screening allowing for a completely pain-free and comprehensive way of safeguarding infants against any diseases in the future. At a nominal one time investment of Rs.4,990, parents can relax peacefully knowing that their child will grow to be healthy and normal. We are extremely pleased to launch this facility across 100 cities in India.”

Newborn screening is recognised by health experts as an essential medical test as it can help identify children who may be born with such conditions even before they become sick so that early and preventive treatment can be initiated in order to safeguard them from severe harm such as mental retardation, physical abnormalities, bone deformity, liver dysfunction or even death.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr James Shoemaker, associate professor, Edward A Doisy Research Centre Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, USA said, “Giving birth to a baby is one of the most exciting and rewarding moment for parents. However, at times the child may be prone to life-threatening diseases which if undiagnosed at an early stage can lead to a lifetime of regret. Newborn screening is recommended by medical councils across the world and is mandatory for all babies born in several countries including the UK, USA, Germany, Japan and Australia. I strongly recommend all parents to invest in a screening at birth, as prevention is always better than cure. BabyShield is a simple, safe and a non-invasive secure service that causes absolutely no harm to the baby.”

Dr Kishore Pratap Sanghvi, president, National Neonatology Forum (NNF), Mumbai commented that newborn screening is important as it helps to identify genetic disorders that can be treated early thereby preventing future complications. He further added, “In normal circumstances, infants suffering from these disorders may not show any symptoms until the disease progresses and the symptoms finally surface. Often in such cases it may be too late to prevent severe consequence such as mental retardation, physical abnormalities, developmental delay, poor growth and behaviour problems etc. It is therefore extremely important to create awareness about the criticality of newborn screening as it enables early intervention and treatment and facilitates the overall growth and development of the child.”

The BabyShield service can identify over 118 health conditions at birth making it the most advanced newborn screening service in the world.