Hong Kong Children's Hospital has been treating a five-year-old girl suffering from thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder that causes the body to have less haemoglobin than normal.

The clinical team had planned to perform a haematopoietic stem cell transplant for the patient.

Saving lives

During the process, it was noted that one of her relatives had a haematopoietic stem cell unit stored in a cord blood bank in Guangzhou.

As such, the clinical team communicated and collaborated with the cord blood bank to actualise the transfer of the stem cell unit. With the support of various Mainland authorities and units, the stem cell unit was successfully transported from the Mainland to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Children’s Hospital Service Head (Haematology & Oncology) Dr Frankie Cheng said putting the patient's treatment as a top priority, and in accordance with the established mechanism, the stem cell unit arrived at the hospital as planned.

“We have to ensure it is safe and up to standard and is medically safe to be used in our patients in need.

“We have to keep the stem cell unit at a very low temperature and observe strict hygiene measures to make sure the cord blood stem cell unit is not being contaminated by bacteria or dirt that will affect or even be harmful to the patient.”

Hong Kong Children's Hospital is the only centre in the city to perform haematopoietic stem cell transplants for children. About 40 to 50 transplants are performed each year.

The hospital will carry out the transplant surgery, which is expected to take place in October, based on the treatment plan and the girl's clinical condition.

High standards

Dr Cheng pointed out that the stem cell unit is currently stored in the hospital’s stem cell transplant laboratory. He added that the medical team believes October is a suitable period for the transplant, which requires excellence when it comes to collecting and storing stem cells.

“After the transferral of the cord blood stem cell unit to our stem cell laboratory, we follow all the standard procedures to make sure the stem cell unit being stored is up to standard.

“The stem cells need to be stored in a very, very low temperature in order to maintain the number of cells, which is very important for the successful transplant later.

“Secondly, hygiene is observed to make sure no germs and no bacteria can contaminate the stem cell unit.”

Newborn screening

Hong Kong Children's Hospital is also the major referral centre for uncommon disorders in the city.

To address uncommon and complex conditions, the hospital introduces advanced technology and provides multiple accurate tests to detect the underlying causes of diseases in patients and assist in developing effective treatment plans.

In addition, the hospital supports the city-wide newborn screening programme, which covers all babies born in public hospitals, ensuring newborns receive timely treatment when a problem is detected.

The hospital’s Department of Clinical Genetics Chief of Service Dr Luk Ho-ming said the newborn screening programme is quite unique in the children’s hospital.

“We currently provide 26 inborn errors of metabolism and severe combined immune deficiency testing, together with the spinal muscular atrophy screening programme for all the babies born in public hospitals.

“The ultimate aim of the newborn screening is for the early detection and early treatment, hopefully that we can alleviate the mortality of that severe condition for our newborn baby.”

Comprehensive approach

At the same time, the children’s hospital provides one-stop multidisciplinary medical treatment to patients through collaboration among relevant doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Patients and their families can meet the clinical team in a single visit, which helps to save their time for travelling. It can also provide an optimal platform for multiple experts to communicate and determine the best and most personalised treatment plan for each patient.