Stem cell transplant to the rescue, 19-month-old boy with 'bubble boy disease' saved due to timely action

39-year-old Harminder Kaur is at much peace now after her son Mannat Singh is free from the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) that he was diagnosed with when he was six days old. 

Thanks to a stem cell transplant and Singapore's early detection programme, 19-month-old Mannat is now a healthy child. 

A child diagnosed with SCID, a life-threatening primary immunodeficiency, lacks white blood cells called T cells. These T cells are responsible for acting as a defence against viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms. They also cause B cells, which is another type of white blood cell that produces antibodies. 

Thus, a baby with SCID condition lacks a functional immune system and is very vulnerable to severe and life-threatening infections. Without treatment, these kids do not survive beyond the age of two. The name 'bubble boy disease' comes after David Vetter, an American boy who was diagnosed with the disease in 1971, lived in a sterile plastic enclosure – his 'bubble'.

As per The Straits Times, Mannat was diagnosed with Artemis SCID, a rare form of recessive radiosensitive SCID, which meant he could not be treated with radiation or have certain scans done.

'Stem cell transplant to the rescue'

Mannat was the first newborn in Singapore to be diagnosed with SCID at birth and also the first to receive a stem cell transplant, from his mother's bone marrow, before the symptoms emerged. 

“The highest success is when it is performed within the first three to four months of life, before the baby develops significant infections. This makes SCID screening at birth crucial for early diagnosis to actively prevent infection,” said Dr Bianca Chan, a consultant with the rheumatology and immunology service at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore. 

In a stem cell transplant, bone marrow is harvested from the donor to collect the stem cells. Processing is the next step in this procedure where the bone marrow is processed to concentrate the stem cells. The child then undergoes chemotherapy or radiation therapy after which fresh stem cells that were collected are infused into the baby.