Robert Guthrie

Dr. Robert Guthrie (June 28, 1916 &mdash; June 24, 1995) was an American microbiologist, the first to use dried blood spotting, which he first did in the 1960's. He originally designed it for use in neonatal circumstances, in which it continues to be used for over 95% of newborns, but its use has since spread to almost every field involving blood collection.

The Guthrie Test is still an important tool, and dried blood spots are becoming more widespread in use, with well over 90% of American newborns born since 2000 having had one taken.

Guthrie declined to patent or accept royalties for his test. As a result, the price of the test was minimized and hospitals were able to quickly implement screening for PKU on a large scale.

External link

 * History of Newborn Screening

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