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KOCHI: IN a first in India, doctors used Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), a process of genetic profiling of embryos prior to implantation similar to prenatal diagnosis, to help a Thiruvananthapuram native deliver a healthy child free of genetically transferred disease.
This rare feat was achieved under the treatment of a specialised team of doctors at the Crafts (Centre For Research in Assisted Reproduction and Fetal Therapy) Hospital and Research Centre, Kodungallur.
Gireesh and Sanjini, a couple from Thiruvananthapuram, were carriers of Tay-Sachs disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive deterioration of nerve cells and of mental and physical abilities that begins around seven months of age. And there is no cure for Tay-Sachs diseases.
“The couple had earlier delivered three Tay-Sachs affected babies and lost them by the age of four respectively. When they approached us, we suggested them to go for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). We conducted Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) in Argenomics where the embryos were screened to identify abnormalities in the chromosomes,” said Dr Ritu Nair, head of Argenomics - genetic...