Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 6, 1990                   TAG: 9005060061
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NORFOLK                                LENGTH: Medium

PRELIMINARY TESTS SHOW A NEWBORN GIRL MAY

Michael Sancilio was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia four weeks ago. His life expectancy is eight to 10 months, according to Dr. Rebecca Byrd, director of hematology and oncology at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters.

The only known cure for the disease is a bone marrow transplant. None of his family was compatible, so his parents are resting their hopes on Christina, born Tuesday. Byrd said there is a 90 percent chance she will be a perfect match.

"The preliminary report is she is a match, but that's only the results from two of four tests," she said.

Blood was removed from the umbilical cord when Christina was born and taken to Indiana University where certain cells called stem cells will be cultured.

Babies are born without bone marrow. The stem cells produce the bone marrow in the baby's first nine months. If a sufficient number of stem cells can be cultured in the lab, researchers are considering injecting them into Michael's heart, in the hope they would produce healthy bone marrow in his body.

Byrd, however, was skeptical about the treatment, which has never before been tried on a leukemia patient.

Meanwhile, she is about to start Michael on an experimental therapy using drugs to keep his white-cell count down. "We are simply buying time until Christina is ready to be a donor," she said.

Christina would not be ready to donate bone marrow until she is two months, and preferably between six to eight months of age, Byrd said.

If a match between the siblings is confirmed, the family will have to raise the $150,000 cost of the operation, she said.