Rapid and reliable tandem mass spectrometry, introduced in the United States in the 1990s, has expanded screening for more than 30 diseases in newborns.

 

 

Tandem mass spectrometry is a high sensitivity, high specificity, high selectivity and rapid detection technology.

Traditional newborn screening tests can detect only one disease at a time, and multiple tests are needed for multiple diseases.

Using tandem mass spectrometry, a single blood sample can be used to detect dozens of disorders of amino acids, organic acids and fatty acids in a few minutes.

 

 

 

At present, tandem mass spectrometry screening has been popularized in Europe, the United States, Australia, China, Taiwan and other countries and regions. This program can more effectively and earlier identify these inherited metabolic diseases, provide effective basis for targeted treatment, and open up a new field for the prevention of inherited metabolic diseases.

In view of this, tandem mass spectrometry has been described as the most promising "sunrise" technique in screening for genetic and metabolic diseases in newborns.

 

 

 

With the continuous expansion of newborn screening market, tandem mass spectrometry technology in this market is also gradually opened and popularized.

The global newborn screening market was estimated to be worth $438.9 million in 2013 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% over the next five years to reach $819.6 million by 2019, according to a research report by marketsandmarkets.

In particular, the report points out that the emergence of new technologies and new products in the foreseeable future has led to such high growth rate expectations, with the main growth factor coming from the improvement of methods and systems based on mass spectrometry.

 

 

 

In China, the popularization of tandem mass spectrometry technology is slower than that of European and American countries at the beginning, but it has been promoted rapidly in recent years.

It is reported that more than 10 provinces in China have successively carried out tandem mass spectrometry for newborn disease screening.

Especially this year, many medical institutions in second - and third-tier cities have introduced and promoted the application of this technology.

For example, weihai municipal commission of health and family planning held the launching ceremony and technical training course of neonatal disease screening by tandem mass spectrometry on September 28 this year.

Starting from the beginning of next year, the new screening center of hefei maternal and child health center will take the lead in carrying out tandem mass spectrometry screening of newborns in the whole province.

In addition, a number of medical institutions such as jilin provincial maternal and child health hospital, binzhou newborn disease screening center, and dongchangfu maternal and child health hospital of liaocheng city have introduced advanced tandem mass spectrometry detection equipment to carry out screening of genetic and metabolic diseases of newborn babies.

 

 

 

According to the report on the prevention and treatment of birth defects in China (2012) released by the ministry of health, the incidence of birth defects in China is about 5.6%, and the number of new birth defects is about 900,000 per year, accounting for 20% of the world's total. The prevention and treatment of birth defects in China still faces severe challenges.

Such a large amount of data is bound to promote the rapid growth of neonatal disease screening market, and because of the unique advantages of tandem mass spectrometry technology in this field, it is rapidly becoming a powerful tool for neonatal disease screening, especially in maternal and child health hospitals, children's hospitals and other units will play an increasingly important role.