Fetal Stem Cell Transplant to Treat Alpha Thalassemia
August 14, 2018 | Terry Sharrer
An ultrasound showed fearful evidence—an enlarged heart and rapid blood flow in the brain; signs of the worst “alpha” form of thalassemia in an unborn child. Doctors at the UCSF Children’s Hospital then performed five blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant from the mother’s stem cells. Their theory was that the fetus might better tolerate a transplant from the mother than from the father or anyone else. The child is now three months old and continues to receive transfusions, but detectable maternal stem cells in the baby’s blood hint and hope that engraftment is slowly proceeding. MORE
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