FMRI Conducts 100th Bone Marrow Transplant Within Three Years of Operations

GURGAON, India, January 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplant at FMRI Saves Infant With Congenital Wiskott - Aldrich Syndrome

The 'sunshine' that arrived on a mid-summer afternoon faded for parents Sarika and Amit (name changed) after a blood test done on their firstborn to study neo-natal jaundice, which showed a very low platelet count. A genetic test confirmed their son was born with Wiskott - Aldrich syndrome (WAS), a congenital disorder that occurs only in boys and is characterized by eczema, low platelet count and immune deficiency rendering a child prone to all kinds of opportunistic infections.

Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) has proved to be the new savior in such situations. A successful Haploidentical (Half-matched) Bone Marrow Transplant was performed by the doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) on the five-month-old child with the mother as donor.

FMRI has established itself amongst the top 10 centers across India where successful haploidentical BMTs are being performed. The unit recently achieved its 100th BMT, a rare feat for a center barely three years into operation.

Of the 50 centers carrying out regular BMTs in India, just about 15 have crossed the 100 mark. Also, of these, only 5 to 6 centers carry out haploidentical BMTs, a procedure where the bone marrow is taken from one of the parents or a sibling. This provides only a 50% match but has been proven to be effective.

Explaining the procedure Dr. Satya P Yadav, Unit Head, Paediatric Haemato-Oncology & BMT at FMRI said that BMT offers a cure in a wide range of conditions from Leukemia, Thalassemia, Sickle-cell anaemia, and bone marrow failure to Primary Immuno-deficiencies.

"BMTs are of two types - autologous (use of one's own bone marrow) and allogeneic (use of donor bone marrow). Most centers in India carry out allogeneic transplants from only matched siblings. Haploidentical transplant becomes an option when there are no matched family donors available. Matched unrelated donors are difficult to find due to lack of donor registries in India and lack of Indian donors on international registries. Haploidentical transplantation is a treatment option gaining global acceptance as it increases the possibility of finding an acceptable donor within the family. Parents are always a half-match for their children and at times siblings, uncles and aunts can be half-matched donors. Until recently, closely related donor sources such as the patient's parents came with a high risk of incompatibility and a high incidence of fatal Graft versus Host Disease GvHD, where donor immune cells attack the recipient's body but newer transplant techniques have helped us overcome this hurdle," elaborated Dr. Yadav.

Since 2012, there have been a total of 150 Haploidentical BMTs carried out across India. Of these, 36 cases have been carried out at FMRI with a high rate of success.

"Use of haploidentical transplantation has greatly increased the options for patients in need of bone marrow transplant globally and is today a viable option being offered to patients at FMRI. India offers such unmatched BMT programs of global standards at one-tenth the cost of the procedure in the West. We are hence also treating a number of international patients," added Mr. Jasdeep Singh, Zonal Director, FMRI.

About Fortis Memorial Research Institute: 

Fortis Memorial Research Institute is the flagship hospital of Fortis Healthcare Limited. It is a multi-super speciality, quaternary care hospital with a comprehensive team of clinicians and patient care programmes, supported by advanced technology and medical research solutions. Set on a spacious campus with a potential bed capacity of 1,000 beds, this ultra-modern facility utilises and showcases some of the latest technologies in use in world-class healthcare. Some of the milestone technologies at the hospital include amongst the first pilot project for precision Radio-surgery in the world, integrated operating and procedure rooms, digitized critical care cubicles, advanced Cath-labs, transplant rooms, endoscopy suites, private birthing centres, a state-of-the-art radiation wing and a stem cell lab to name a few facilities. A range of thoughtful services and health facilities for patients and their attending family include several Art 'n' Health programmes to recuperate, a mini theatre to de-stress, retail therapy outlets for immediate needs and a food court providing a choice of dining options to replenish energies.

About Fortis Healthcare Limited: 

Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India. The healthcare verticals of the company primarily comprise hospitals, diagnostics and day care specialty facilities. The company operates its healthcare delivery services in India, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka with 54 healthcare facilities (including projects under development), approximately 10,000 potential beds and 260 diagnostic centres. In a global study of the 30 most technologically advanced hospitals in the world, its flagship, the Fortis Memorial Research Institute' (FMRI), was ranked No.2, by topmastersinhealthcare.com, and placed ahead of many other outstanding medical institutions in the world.

For more information, please contact:  

Fortis Healthcare Limited

Tituraj Kashyap Das: +91-9871918187 
[email protected]

Tanushree Roy Choudhury: +91-9999425750 
[email protected]