Alex, an 18-month-old Italian boy
suffering from a grave genetic disorder, has arrived in Italy
from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and is heading to
Rome's Vatican-run Bambino Gesù Hospital to have a
bone-marrow transplant from his parents using an innovative
manipulation of stem cells, sources said Thursday.
Alex's parents had launched an appeal for donors which saw
lengthy queues build up in cities around Britain, Italy, and
other countries.
Alex, whose full name is Alessandro Maria Montresor, has a
rare condition said to affect just 0.002% of children,
hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, commonly known as Hly.
Alex was born in London where his Italian parents live and
work.
The general condition of the boy are "good", Bambino Gesù
sources said later.
They said the drug treatment that had been started at the
London hospital "is contributing effectively to the containment
of the disease".
That therapy will be continued until the transplant, the
Roman hospital sources said.
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