umbilical

“They didn’t even have basic supplies, like the scissors you would use to cut an umbilical cord. They were using a razor blade, you know?”

“They would use a string from a face mask to tie off the umbilical cord.”

Whole genome sequencing for affected families is now offered on the NHS and new parents are offered screening for 200 genetic disorders by testing the umbilical cord.

As part of this new study, led by Genomics England, blood samples will be taken from babies' umbilical cords to help diagnose many more gene disorders, such as haemophilia and spinal muscular atrophy.

Screening newborn babies for these rare diseases involves sequencing their complete DNA - or genome - using blood samples from their umbilical cord.