Team hopes to improve baby heel prick tests

The new facility is from life sciences group LGC

A new national laboratory has opened in Surrey, with part of its efforts going towards trying to make baby heel prick tests more reliable.

The new facility from life sciences group LGC in Guildford houses the National Measurement Laboratory (NML), the Government Chemist, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Currently, babies are given the newborn blood spot test, formerly called the heel prick test, to check for 10 serious conditions, including cystic fibrosis.

Jim Huggett, director of biological metrology at the NML, said: "We're trying to reduce the likelihood of the false positive to provide more confidence in the testing."

Mr Huggins said although false positives were checked, the issue was that "doubt has been seeded".

"We're really here to improve that initial test and improve the standardisation so that initial test is more accurate," he added.

At the new lab work will also be done on food authenticity to make sure spices include what is on the label, to ensure alcohol percentages are as advertised, and to test the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil.