The bond between mother and child is never stronger than before birth, which makes the perinatal period critical for ensuring the health of both bodies. Without prenatal screening, both mothers and newborns are at risk of congenital infections and congenital diseases which may go undetected until such a point that significant symptoms become apparent.
The vertical transmission of pathogens from mother to foetus during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding can result in complex, infectious, congenital diseases including HIV, hepatitis B, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, and syphilis affecting the newborn perinatally.
Though acknowledged to be a significant factor in child mortality in low and middle-income countries, congenital infections remain prevalent in first world countries to this day.
Whether an initial screening or a postnatal follow-up, diagnostics and testing are a lifeline for families at risk of congenital disease and infection.
By equipping laboratories with the equipment needed to gain the right information at the right time during prenatal congenital screenings, Roche Diagnostics aim to improve the outcome for infants at risk by enabling earlier initiation of treatment wherever possible. The efficient and timely administration of treatment, such as vaccines, is often critical to reducing the risk or extent of life-long complexities as a result of congenital infection.
As screening becomes more standardised across the globe, Roche Diagnostics are working to ensure laboratories are equipped to meet demand through three core focuses.
By providing diagnostic solutions with a broad range of specific and sensitive assays, we help laboratories avoid misdiagnosis and the need for retesting during the time-critical perinatal period.
With absolute automation, laboratories can do more with less resources when it comes to prenatal screening, reducing the risk of human error and increasing testing efficiency.
By consolidating all congenital tests within a single platform, Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) can simplify training and easily adopt workflows to maximise testing output.
With a broad test menu available for a diverse range of assays, the need to send out congenital tests is reduced, improving workflow efficiency and giving more families the information they need.
In the last two decades, the incidences of certain congenital diseases diagnosed in neonates has increased by around 300%2. This means the demand for high through-put, timely, and reliable congenital tests has never been higher.
Roche Diagnostics are dedicated to continued assay development for congenital screening, offering partnership and trust to patients and HCPs as we look to meet this increased demand in an ever-changing world.
