Human beings have journeyed up the ladder of species using various different abilities, and yet none were as impactful as our ability to grow on a consistent basis. We said what we did because this particular would eventually go on to fetch the world some huge milestones, with technology appearing as a rather unique member of the group. The reason why technology’s credentials are so anomalous is purposed around its skill-set, which was unprecedented enough to realize all the possibilities for us that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, a closer look should be able to reveal how the whole runner was also very much inspired by the way we applied those skills across a real world environment. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence and made it the ultimate centerpiece of every horizon. Now, having such a powerful tool run the show did expand our experience in many different directions, but even after reaching so far ahead, this prodigious concept called technology will somehow keep on delivering the right goods. The same has grown to become a lot more evident in recent times, and assuming one new healthcare-themed development shakes out just like we envision, it will only make that trend bigger and better moving forward.
CooperSurgical®, a global leader in fertility and women’s health, has officially signed off on a partnership with Fulgent Genetics to offer families of the latter’s Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) exclusive newborn genetic screening panels. According to certain reports, the partnership will see Fulgent Genetics combining its Picture® Genetics platform with CBR, CooperSurgical-owned largest provider of private newborn stem cell preservation in the world, to help families access an expansive range of genetic testing options. These options begin from CBR Snapshot genetic test, which screens children for over 250 genes related to metabolic disorders, blood disorders, cancers, cardiovascular disorders, hearing/vision loss, and for all those other conditions where early detection may provide actionable information, and for conditions that are still manageable with medication, diet, or other therapies. Next up, we have the prospect of CBR Portrait genetic test. Here, the value proposition is rooted in screening children for over 600 genes, covering everything in CBR Snapshot, along with genes related to hearing loss, actionable epilepsy, immunodeficiency, heart conditions, and neonatal diabetes etc. Then, there is CBR Landscape genetic test, a test that makes it possible for you to screen more than 1,500 genes. In essence, this specific test puts on the table everything offered to you in CBR Snapshot and CBR Portrait iterations, but it separates itself by conceiving an even broader range of genetic conditions. Not just that, CBR Landscape test also includes a pharmacogenetic (PGx) component, which is a type of genetic test meant to determine how a person breaks down or metabolizes certain medications. Such a mechanism should go a long distance when the agenda is to identify potential for adverse reactions against more than 100 medications, qualifying the whole solution as one of the most comprehensive pediatric genetic tests currently available on the market.
“Partnering with CBR allows us to help provide more families with actionable information about their newborn’s health,” said Brandon Perthuis, Chief Commercial Officer of Fulgent Genetics. “Part of our mission is to use our resources and testing to improve the lives of those around us. Newborn genetic analysis serves as an illustration of this commitment, as early intervention may significantly improve health outcomes for many of these conditions.”
Talk about what makes two companies here the ideal candidates for such an effort? Well, in CooperSurgical’s case, the answer resides in its pledge to advance women and pediatric healthcare. Providing the necessary technical infrastructure to support a wide range of reproductive solutions, the company has helped the world make some big strides in fertility, contraception, preventive and therapeutic gynecological care, along with plenty other related areas. CooperSurgical’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider it has already established a strong presence in more than 300 countries. In a process to achieve that, the company has introduced well over 600 unique products, employed a whopping 3000 workers, and committed facilities worth an estimated 24,000 sq ft across the globe to R&D efforts. Having touched on CooperSurgical’s wider operation, we now must turn our attention to its Cord Blood Registry. CBR has basically risen up the ranks by helping parents store stem cells from cord blood and cord tissue for their children. Founded in 1994, the initiative is today the #1 choice for parents and most recommended by OB/GYNs for newborn stem cell preservation. This has been met with further progress on CBR’s part, encouraging the company to release, till date, over 700 samples intended for use in transplant medicine and regulated investigational regenerative medicine applications. Not just that, it would also have a big say in getting Cord blood stem cells to facilitate, up until now, more than 40,000 transplants.
As for Fulgent Genetics, founded in 2011, the company has today reached a point where it leverages its industry-leading testing capabilities for the purpose of transforming patient care in oncology, anatomic pathology, infectious, rare diseases, and reproductive health. More on its testing capabilities would include an unrivaled catalog of genetic testing, a catalog which covers over 18,000 single gene tests, 900+ rare disease tests, whole genome sequencing, whole genome copy number variation analysis, mitochondrial sequencing, and CLIA/CAP quality sequencing services. Fulgent’s credentials are further reinforced on the back of an esteemed clientele which holds more than 700 institutions including John Hopkins University, Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente, and many others.
“We are proud to offer our CBR families additional resources that complement our newborn stem cell services as we continue to deliver personalized, cutting-edge solutions to families nationwide,” said Holly Sheffield, President of CooperSurgical.
