PEORIA, Ill. — Children’s Hospital of Illinois has announced a clinical trial with technology for infants born with unexplained illnesses.
The Peoria healthcare facility said Wednesday it will be teaming for two years with the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine of San Diego to implement rapid whole genome sequencing.
With a small sampling of blood, a baby’s entire genetic code can be examined.
The samples will be sent to Rady. Within three days, results are sent back to the local hospital.
Children’s Hospital of Illinois Neonatologist Dr. Susan Ramiro called this technology a potential breakthrough for the medical community.
“In the past, we just looked at the big chromosome picture, which we thought was already way advanced at the time,” she said.
“But now, with new technology [and] with new ways of looking at chromosomes through a computer, we can detect even a slight deviation that causes a problem in the makeup of a patient.”
The first year of the trial is being partially funded through a $200,000 gift from an anonymous donor.
Children’s Hospital of Illinois is the first to collaborate with Rady.
