- The ARC - California Edition -

A Letter from Dick Koch

Most States are gearing up to expand newborn screening by moving to Tandem Mass Spectroscopy (TMS). This new technology will make the Guthrie test obsolete because it is all computerized and has a 24-hour turn around. 

One of Bob Guthrie’s protégés, Ed Naylor, has pioneered this new technology that ultimately will be able to screen for 20-30 different metabolic disorders, many of which are unknown today. 

California bought two TMS instruments in 1999 but the Department of Finance did not approve the technical support to operate them. In 2000, the legislature passed a bill with $6,000,000 to convert the old system to the new technology. Unfortunately the Department of Health has not acted and nothing visible seems to be happening.

Naylor has already tested over 1,000,000 babies with TMS and produced data showing that there is one affected baby for each 1,000 babies born. Medically, there is not a single reason for not expanding screening, but to change a bureaucratic state system is a significant problem. 

I would like to suggest that Arc-California get involved in this issue and put some pressure on the system.

Regards, Dick Koch