A stemcell of hope for this eight-year-old

Muscular dystrophy-afflicted child is responding to stem cell therapy, which is emerging as the most popular treatment for rare and fatal genetic disorders

Muscular dystrophy-afflicted child is responding to stem cell therapy, which is emerging asu00a0the most popular treatment for rare and fatal genetic disorders

Meet Harshu Singh. This wheelchair-bound, frail eight-year-old cannot play or enjoy classes at school. Denying him these small childhood pleasures is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder that weakens muscles of children, ultimately making them wheelchair dependent even before they cross the age of 10. But shining a faint ray of hope into his bleak condition is stem cell therapy, which is fast becoming the most popular treatment for diseases involving muscular dystrophy.


New lease of life: Harshu Singh

Harshu was diagnosed with DMD at the tender age of three, when he started finding it difficult to walk, or even change sides in bed. "Harshu's mother Sujata said, "It is a genetic disorder, and even my brother's kids have been diagnosed with it. Everywhere we went, the doctors insisted there is no cure for this fatal disorder. One day, I read about a miraculous recovery of a boy the same age as Harshu, who was suffering from DMD. I discovered that stem cell therapy was the only cure, and decided to opt for it."

Harshu has already undergone five sessions of stem cell therapy, wherein doctors have injected stem cells of heterologous origin into his blood stream. "We first obtain stem cells from the umbilical cord of a new born infant in the lab, after which they are injected intravenously. In Harshu's case, the muscle degeneration appears to have stopped, and he has regained some movement in his hand and leg. These are clear signs of improvement," said Dr B S Rajput, consultant stem cell transplant surgeon, Criti Care hospital.

Adding that he has used stem cell therapy for over 100 patients suffering from various forms of muscular dystrophy, Rajput said, "This disorder has no documented treatment, but stem cell therapy has shown a ray of hope. We have noticed substantial improvement in a large majority of cases. The administration of mesenchymal stem cells has helped in the short term. Doctors are trying to gauge its efficacy in long-term treatment as well."

Did you know?
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a congenital neuromuscular disorder that occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,600 male infants, who are more prone to it than female infants. Patients usually live till the age of 25.

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