Immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM, IgA, IgE) These are antibodies made by your immune cells to fend off germs. These cells may be totally absent or non-functional in kids with SCID. T cell, B cell, and NK cell count These are also your immune cells. Low count of these cells makes kids with Bubble boy disease extremely vulnerable to infections, even the mild ones. These are a cluster of white blood cells, very important family members of your immune system. Here's a round-up of these screening techniques.Ĭomplete Blood Count It reveals one's lymphocyte counts. Other manifestations to watch out for include recurrent diarrhoea and severe rashes.Ī battery of tests help in the diagnosis of SCID in children. Consult an immunologist if you find your little one falling sick of a vaccine, another symptom of this condition.

Also, a virus which is present in the system of any other normal human being can cause hepatitis in a SCID child while infections like thrush become very severe in them. For example, a yeast-like fungus, harboured in the airways of most people, can cause life threatening pneumonia in a kid with Bubble Boy disease. Also, some common organisms which cause mild to no infection in healthy kids, may make a SCID child severely ill. This condition can affect males only while women may be carriers.Ĭhildren born with SCID experience recurrent and severe infections like pneumonia or hepatitis. They don't have the capacity to fight even the mildest of infections. Babies born with Bubble Boy disease have a practically non-functional immune system which makes them prone to bacterial, viral or fungal infections repeatedly. Some estimates suggest that this condition affects 1 in 50,000 to 100,000 newborns approximately. More News WHAT IS BUBBLE BOY DISEASE ALL ABOUT?Ī mutation in the IL2RG gene causes SCID-X1. Scientists Find Potential Cure For Thalassemia, Gene Therapy Ends Need For Regular Blood Transfusions.IIT Kanpur, Reliance Life Sciences Sign MoU To Revolutionize Gene Therapy For Hereditary Eye Diseases.They prevent the activation of the nearby genes and stop them from turning cancerous.

However, in this therapy, the researchers prevented this by including 'insulator' genes. One major drawback of the earlier gene therapies was that the infusion of a gene into the DNA was followed a dangerous reaction: Genes close to the insertion site became cancerous. They were also responding to vaccines, observed the research authors. After 16 months of treatment, the kids, living with Bubble Boy disease, got a functional immune system that protects them from germs and infections. These genetically engineered cells were then infused back to the patients.īefore this procedure, doctors treated the patients with low-dose chemotherapy drugs, to accommodate the growth of new cells in the bone marrow. Then, they inserted a correct copy of the muted gene that causes the condition into the bone marrow cells with the help of an altered version of HIV. Recently, experts at the Children's Research Hospital have been able to cure babies born with the Bubble Boy Disease with a new gene therapy, reports a research published the New England Journal of Medicine.įor this new therapy, the researchers first collected bone marrow from the patients. This condition makes babies vulnerable to any and every infection repeatedly. SCID-X1, often referred to as Bubble Boy Disease, owes this name to Vetter. He lost his life to this genetic disorder at the age of 12 after undergoing his treatment: Bone marrow transplant. Named David Vetter, this boy from America was suffering from a rare but fatal immune deficiency disorder known as X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID-X1). Way back in the 70s, a baby boy used to spend his days waiting inside a plastic bubble.

What is scid disease real bubble boy