A mother taking her baby through the sickle cell screening
PerkinElmer Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, has donated MigeleTM Gel Electrophoresis Systems to Ghana Health Service (GHS) to increase the country’s screening of newborns for sickle cell Disease (SCD).
The donation would see an increase in the exercise from its current four per cent of all babies born in the country to 50 per cent by 2030.
PerkinElmer’s contribution of easy-to-use, scalable laboratory solutions enables Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, (NMIMR) University of Ghana to be a Center of Excellence and National Training Center for SCD newborn screening with the ability to build screening capacity for an additional 50,000 babies annually.
The PerkinElmer-provided MigeleTM Gel Electrophoresis Systems will thus support the country’s need for reliable, fast, and cost-efficient SCD screening.
With the government’s desire to enact a country-wide screening program, the PerkinElmer solution’s scalable design can meet growing high-capacity requirements as screening coverage and sample volumes increase.
“PerkinElmer is committed to helping the government of Ghana develop sustainable end to end solutions that focus on screening and diagnosis, in addition to comprehensive care for SCD,” said Marika Kase, business director, reproductive health at PerkinElmer.
She commended the GHS and the Sickle Cell Foundation for the milestones gained so far, in advancing the diagnosis and care of patients with the disease in the country.
“We hope that this donation will facilitate development of Ghana’s SCD screening program and will therefore improve the lives of children in the region,” she said.
As part of its commitment to the Sub-Saharan African region, PerkinElmer, together with the Novartis Africa Sickle Cell Disease program, is aiming to expand advocacy efforts to educate patients, caregivers and communities about the importance of newborn screening and early intervention with hydroxyurea (HU) and other SCD treatments.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri