Tandem Mass Spectrometry Project (MSMS)

Welcome to the Expanded Newborn Screening (formerly known as the Tandem Mass spectrometry) project section of the DOH genetics website.

For general information about newborn screening using tandem mass spectrometry, please go to our companion expanded newborn screening website at www.newbornscreening.info.

Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) enables health-care providers to detect an increased number of metabolic disorders in a single process by using dried blood spot specimens routinely collected for newborn screening. MS/MS allows screening of multiple metabolic disorders using a single analytical run and can detect these disorders (approximately 30 total) within 1 to 2 minutes.

The Department of Health Hawaii Newborn Metabolic Screening Program has been in existence since 1986 and currently tests for seven conditions: PKU, galactosemia, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, maple syrup urine disease, biotinidase deficiency, and hemoglobinopathies. The California Department of Health Genetics Disease Branch received a grant in June 2001 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct a pilot study MS/MS newborn screening. Since California and Hawaii have a long history of collaboration, the Hawaii Department of Health was invited to participate in the pilot study. Due to limited funding, the pilot study will be limited to newborns in Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.

Check out results of the pilot project