CHENNAI: Doctors at Nova IVI Fertility Centre helped a couple deliver a child with HLA match through IVF technology to ensure successful bone marrow transfer to the child’s older sibling, who is suffering from Thalassemia major, a blood disorder.
According to a release, the couple who belong to Ahmedabad, both carriers of Thalassemia and parents of a seven-year-old girl and five-year-old boy, approached the IVI Fertility Centre. The younger child was suffering from Thalassemia major requiring monthly blood transfusion. He was then advised a bone marrow transplant.
However, since the boy did not get matched Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA), a protein or markers found on cells which help the body immunity system recognise foreign cells, the couple decided to opt for In-Vitro Fertilisation, (IVF) process, where an egg is fertilized in the laboratory and planted in the uterus, the release said.
“The couple underwent multiple IVF cycles to create a pool of embryos for testing. Out of 18 embryos biopsied, only one was found to have matching HLA, normal on Pre-Genetic Diagnosis and screening. The embryo was then transferred and the patient delivered a healthy baby. The baby was found to be 10/10 HLA matched with the sibling and a bone marrow transplant is planned in future for the affected sibling,” the release added.