PerkinElmer gets an OK for a screening processor

PerkinElmer Inc., a Waltham life sciences company, said that it has received 510K clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for a genetic screening processor, or GSP, that public health laboratories will use in the their newborn screening programs.

Newborn screening programs are generally used to test infants for a range of genetic, metabolic, or hematologic disorders, the company noted.

In a press release, PerkinElmer said its genetic screening processor system "makes it much easier for labs to analyze newborn blood samples by providing the capability to run more than one test at once on very small samples."

"FDA approval of PerkinElmer's GSP system provides laboratories in the US with a next-generation system that can help address the staffing and workflow needs of today's demanding environment," Ann-Christine Sundell, president of the company's genetic screening unit, said in a press release. (Globe Staff)