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Unborn test-tube baby to save thalassemic sibling

Stem cells saved after the birth of the test-tube baby will be used for a bone marrow transplant to cure the elder child since they are a perfect match.

An Emirati mother will soon give birth to a genetically tested baby free of thalassemia so that she can save the life of her elder child with the blood disorder.

Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre doctors completed a procedure for a couple trying to conceive their second child so that the stem cells saved after the birth can be used for a bone marrow transplant for the couple’s thalassemic elder child. — Supplied photo

Stem cells saved after the birth of the test-tube baby will be used for a bone marrow transplant to cure the elder child since they are a perfect match.

Doctors at the Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre said on Sunday that they completed a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) screening for a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match for a couple trying to conceive their second child.

The HLA plays an important part in the body’s immune response to foreign substances.

The procedure was said to be a first for any government centre in Dubai.

“The couple could have tried to conceive normally but chances could be high that the second child would also be born thalassemic,” said Dr Bassel Noah, senior fertility specialist at the centre.

The couple’s four-year-old son requires regular blood transfusions to survive. “They wanted to use IVF technology and genetic screening methods to have a second child whose stem cells could be used to cure their elder child,” said Dr Noah.

To ensure the transplantation process is a success, the couple needed their second child’s HLA to match their first child’s. “At least 15 three-day old embroyos were tested for the implant... Only two to three matched,” said the doctor.

Donor cells need to be HLA-matched so that the recipient’s body would not reject the transplanted cells.

“To ensure the unborn child has the same HLA as the sibling, IVF and genetic diagnosis of the embryo are the latest methods. This technique allows couples to se in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to identify embryos that are an HLA match and only use those embryos to establish pregnancy,” he added. “When a couple has a child with a disease that requires a bone marrow transplant, the optimal source of cells needed for transplant is an HLA-matched sibling.”

The mother was first given fertility drugs so that she could produce enough eggs. Then the IVF procedure was used to make embryos.

“We plucked one cell from a three-day-old embryo to screen for genetic disorders. Screening was also undertaken to see if the embryo would be an HLA match to determine whether it may develop into a suitable stem-cell donor for the sibling with thalassemia. Once we found an HLA match, we implanted the embryo into the mother’s uterus. The pregnancy was confirmed after 14 days,” said Dr Noah.

“This is the first time this procedure has been conducted in a government facility in the UAE,” he added.

“We used all the necessary medical technologies — IVF, screening of embryos for thalassemia and immune system genes, HLA screening etc to ensure the woman conceives a baby whose stem cells can be used to carry out bone marrow transplantation for her elder child.”

This procedure can also be used for couples whose first child suffers from sickle-cell anaemia or certain blood disorders, he said.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com