Alishba given stem cell hope; HEALTH: Medics' radical new treatment for bone disorder.

Byline: By Emma McKinney CHIEF REPORTER

BABY Alishba Qamer, whose plight touched the hearts of Midlanders, may have been handed a lifeline.

Alishba, given just two months to live if she didn't get a bone marrow transplant, may be able to benefit from radical, pioneering treatment.

Medics have been carrying out emergency clinics across the Midlands in the search for a suitable bone marrow match for nine-month-old Alishba, who has the rare hereditary bone disorder malignant infantile osteopetrosis.

The illness can spark the body to overproduce bone, which can damage sight and can even kill.

Initially, it was thought only a bone marrow transplant would cure Alishba, of Alum Rock.

Surgeons now believe that stem cells found in blood taken from umbilical cords could hold the key to her survival - and doctors say they have found a donor who could prove a 90 per cent match.

The healthy stem cells would be injected into Alishba and it is hoped they would replace the faulty cells that cause her illness.

Alishba's aunt Shaheena Salahuddin, aged 26, of Saltley, said: "We had thought a bone marrow transplant was the only way forward.

"We're delighted there's new hope for Alishba, but there's still the concern that the match is only 90 per cent.

"We know we have to be realistic and be grateful for any chance."

Shaheena has now joined Alishba's parents, Javed and Shakeela, to launch a petition for a national umbilical cord blood bank.

CAPTION(S):

CHANCE... Alishba Qamer, with her aunt Shaheena Salahuddin, may benefit from pioneering treatment.