One month after an operation at
Rome's Bambino Gesù Hospital on a 20-month-old child affected by
a rare genetic disease, the bone-marrow transplant from his
parents using an innovative manipulation of stem cells has been
successful and the child is in "good condition", doctors at the
Vatican-run pediatric hospital said Thursday.
Alessandro Maria Montresor, known as Alex, will be leaving
the hospital in the next few hours after the transplant
treatment was concluded "in a positive way".
The father's cells, which were manipulated and then infused,
"have taken root perfectly", the hospital also said.
The Italian boy suffering from a grave genetic disorder,
travelled to Italy last November from London's Great Ormond
Street Hospital to be treated at the Bambino Gesù Hospital to
have a bone-marrow transplant from his parents.
The transplant was carried out on December 20.
The father's cells, which were manipulated and infused, one
month after the transplant "have taken root perfectly,
adequately repopulating the hematopoietic and immune system of
the patient", the hospital said.
No complications were registered over the four weeks
following the transplant and therefore the transplant can be
considered to have concluded successfully, it said.
The life-saving drug treatment (emapalumab) that was used to
keep the disease under control by regulating the child's immune
system was suspended last week, doctors said.
Alex had 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.
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