Whitakers a step closer to donor baby

A British couple who sought embryo screening to provide a bone marrow donor for their sick son have undergone IVF treatment in the US. Jayson and Michelle Whitaker, who were refused access to the screening procedure by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in August, travelled to Chicago for the treatment.

Four year-old Charlie Whitaker suffers from Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, a rare disorder of the blood which means he has to undergo a blood transfusion every three weeks. His only chance of living beyond about 30 years is a bone marrow transplant from a compatible donor. The Whitakers have had a daughter since Charlie, but she was unfortunately not a tissue match. Rather than leaving it to chance again, the Whitakers sought PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) to ensure that their next child will be able to help Charlie. But the HFEA refused to authorise treatment because the Whitakers were not at risk of having another child with the same condition and were seeking PGD for tissue typing alone.

After IVF treatment at the Chicago hospital, the Whitakers produced nine embryos. A single cell was taken from each embryo which was then tested to see if it would be a tissue match for Charlie. Three of the embryos were a close match, and the best two were implanted into Mrs Whitaker. Now the couple must wait to see if the embryos have successfully implanted.