Posted on: 18 December 2007, source: Reuters
A three-year-old "bubble boy" undergoing pioneering gene therapy in London has developed leukemia, marking another setback for the experimental treatment. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital said on Tuesday the boy had been successfully treated for SCID-X1, or x-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, often known as "baby in the bubble syndrome", but had developed leukemia two years later. The news is a blow to the treatment program at the London hospital, which has a worldwide reputation from treating sick children.