The third baby genetically engineered to save a sibling¿s life from a very serious disease has been born

Nace en Sevilla el tercer "bebé medicamento" para ayudar a curar a su hermano

There are very serious genetic disorders of the blood, such as the Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, which can only be cured by a bone marrow transplant from a perfect match donor. The bone marrow registries have millions and millions of voluntary donors who almost never meet this requirement, rendering a cure infeasible. It requires a sibling with immunologically identical blood, which is almost impossible to find in nature yet has been made possible thanks to the use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

Dr. Antiñolo and his team from the genetics, reproduction and foetal medicine unit at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital have managed to bring a little girl into the world who meets these requirements. This past Wednesday, the doctor attended the birth of the baby who was selected as an embryo and is free of the inherited disease that affects her brother. The stem cells from her umbilical cord will allow doctors to perform a bone marrow transplant, which has a high probability of curing the disease. There is no other possible medical solution, and there is only one precedent detailed in the international bibliography.

This is the third time that Dr. Antiñolo¿s team has achieved a histocompatibility identical to that of the sibling. In the two previous cases, 2008 and 2012, they were able to cure the patients.