DNA Contamination From Sample Processing Still A Problem In SMA Newborn Screening, Study Finds

SMA News Today (7/12, Bryson) reported, “DNA contamination from sample processing remains a major problem in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) newborn screening, a study” found. Investigators “proposed analytic cut-off values to clearly separate samples testing positive for SMA from negative samples.” The “data also showed that adding a freezing step before DNA extraction led to significantly higher amounts of DNA for screening.” The findings were published in PLOS One.