A paediatric neurologist and clinical academic researcher with deep experience in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Dr Michelle Farrar played a central role in Australia’s efforts to add SMA to newborn screening panels. In this Q&A for Lab Insights, Dr Farrar discusses the process of piloting and launching SMA testing for newborns.

“What we learned is that every day counts,” said Dr Farrar. “Something we’ve never seen before was how rapidly SMA can evolve.”