Fighting Bubble Boy Disease

There is a famous photo of a young David Vetter staring out from inside his sterile plastic bubble in 1983. His piercing, dark eyes and haunting look tug at your heartstrings. Dubbed “bubble boy” by the media, David suffered from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or SCID, disease. Not long after the photo, David died from lymphoma.

SCID affects 1 in every 50,000 to 100,000 births. It is a primary immunodeficiency disorder leaving infants with few or no T lymphocytes that help resist infections. Several different genetic defects cause SCID. Untreated, SCID is usually fatal. If detected within the first few weeks of life, however, cord blood or bone marrow transplants can treat and even cure the disease.

More than 30 years after “Bubble Boy’s” passing, children with SCID and their families now have reason to hope. In both the United States and Canada, PerkinElmer has received authorization to offer its newborn screening kit for SCID to healthcare professionals throughout the two countries. With these recent approvals, PerkinElmer’s VICTOR™ EnLite™ and EnLite™ Neonatal TREC kit is now providing SCID screening in more than 30 countries around the world.

EnLite^™ Neonatal TREC brochure – (outside US and Canada)

EnLite^™ Neonatal TREC brochure – (US and Canada only)