Screen4Care at the 2023 Annual ICoNS Conference in London, UK

The second Annual Conference of the International Consortium on Newborn Sequencing (ICoNS) brought together global experts from eight newborn sequencing research projects: BabySeq, Genomics England, GUARDIAN Study, BeginNGS, Early Check, Screen4Care, ScreenPlus, and BabyBeyond. The two-day event took place at the prestigious headquarters of the Royal Institution in London's Mayfair on October 5-6, 2023, and provided project representatives with the opportunity to present updates and preliminary data.

Roundtables of the highest scientific calibre were organised to discuss vital topics, including the relationship with patient associations, the economic, social, ethical, and legal aspects of genetic newborn screening, and health policy considerations. The conference also offered valuable networking opportunities for exchanging ideas, fostering new collaborations, and sharing data.

Prof. Alessandra Ferlini and Dr. Nicolas Garnier represented Screen4Care in person, and other consortium members joined them either in London or remotely. Focusing particularly on the number of genes included in the TREAT panel, Prof. Ferlini and Dr. Garnier presented Screen4Care’s mission along with an update on the state of the project.

The next ICoNS conference is scheduled to take place in New York in October next year.