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Article: Marrow transplant in womb eliminates inherited disease New procedure holds great promise, doctors say
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- December 12, 1996
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In a medical first, doctors report that a child who received a
bone marrow transplant inside his mother's womb 4 months after
conception is cured of an inherited disease that would have left him
with a disastrously weak immune system.
The baby was born healthy after an otherwise normal pregnancy. At
18 months of age, he shows no signs of his life-threatening disease,
known as severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, or SCIDS.
Doctors said the approach was especially noteworthy because it
eliminated the disease before it even began. They hope the same
technique can be used to head off some other genetic illnesses,
including sickle cell anemia.
The first successful use of the technique ...