Thalassemia

👤Dr Ritu Nair 🕔3/8/2015

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 Thalassemia

Dr Ritu Nair 
Department of Medical Genetics,
CRAFT Hospital, Kodungallur

Dear  doctor,
We have been married for 12 years and have a child affected with a blood disorder, Thalassemia. Our child undergoes frequent blood transfusions. We want to have a second child free from this genetic disorder and also want this child to be a savior sibling for the affected one. It’s a pity that none of the genetic diseases have treatment as of date. Is there any centre in INDIA offering savior baby?  

--Meera  Arjun, Chennai

Dear Meera,
CRAFT is the only centre in India offering PGD technology for blood related disorders and other chromosomal and single gene disorders. Savior sibling can also be very well offered in conjunction to PGD and HLA matching. First and foremost, parents and the affected child’s DNA will be tested to find out the nature of genetic mutation, then HLA linked markers will be studied on them. This would then help us to select normal and HLA matched embryos, created by IVF/ICSI. This completes the process of savior sibling. The savior sibling’s bone marrow transplantation can help save the affected child. So we test the HLA genes relevant to the proximity of genetics of bone marrow.

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